Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ruth DREIFUSS (since 1 January 1999); Vice
President Adolf OGI (since 1 January 1999); note—the president is
both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Ruth DREIFUSS (since 1 January 1999);
Vice President Adolf OGI (since 1 January 1999); note—the president
is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Federal Council or Bundesrat (in German), Conseil Federal
(in French), Consiglio Federale (in Italian) elected by the Federal
Assembly from among its own members for a four-year term
elections: president and vice president elected by the Federal
Assembly from among the members of the Federal Council for one-year
terms that run concurrently; election last held NA December 1998
(next to be held NA December 1999)
election results: Ruth DREIFUSS elected president; percent of
Federal Assembly vote—Ruth DREIFUSS 75%; Adolf OGI elected vice
president; percent of legislative vote —NA
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly or
Bundesversammlung (in German), Assemblee Federale (in French),
Assemblea Federale (in Italian) consists of the Council of States or
Standerat (in German), Conseil des Etats (in French), Consiglio
degli Stati (in Italian) (46 seats—members serve four-year terms)
and the National Council or Nationalrat (in German), Conseil
National (in French), Consiglio Nazionale (in Italian) (200
seats—members are elected by popular vote on a basis of proportional
representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Council of States—last held throughout 1997 (each canton
determines when the next election will be held); National
Council—last held 20 October 1995 (next to be held probably 24
October 1999)
election results: Council of States—percent of vote by party—NA;
seats by party—FDP 17, CVP 16, SVP 5, SPS 5, LPS 2, LdU 1; National
Council—percent of vote by party—NA; seats by party—FDP 45, SPS 54,
CVP 34, SVP 29, Greens 9, LPS 7, FPS 7, LdU 3, EVP 2, SD 3, PdAdS 3,
Ticino League 1, EDU 1, FRAP 1, CSP 1
Judicial branch: Federal Supreme Court, judges elected for
six-year terms by the Federal Assembly
Political parties and leaders: Radical Free Democratic Party
(Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei der Schweiz or FDP, Parti
Radical-Democratique Suisse or PRD, Partitio Liberal-Radicale
Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz or SPS, Parti
Socialist Suisse or PSS, Partito Socialista Svizzero or PSS, Partida
Christian Democratic People's Party (Christichdemokratische
Volkspartei der Schweiz or CVP, Parti Democrate-Chretien Suisse or
PDC, Partito Democratico-Cristiano Popolare Svizzero or PDC, Partida
president]; Swiss People's Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei or SVP,
Union Democratique du Centre or UDC, Unione Democratica de Centro or
Green Party (Grune Partei der Schweiz or Grune, Parti Ecologiste
Suisse or Les Verts, Partito Ecologista Svizzero or I Verdi, Partida
(Landesring der Unabhaengigen or LdU, Alliance des Independants or
Party (Schweizer Demokraten or SD, Democrates Suisses or DS,
Democratici Svizzeri or DS), Liberal Party (Liberale Partei der
Schweiz or LPS, Parti Liberal Suisse or PLS, Partito Liberale
Svizzero or PLS), Workers' Party (Parti Suisse du Travail or PST,
Partei der Arbeit der Schweiz or PdAdS, Partito Svizzero del Lavoro
or PSdL), Evangelical People's Party (Evangelische Volkspartei der
Schweiz or EVP, Parti Evangelique Suisse or PEV, Partito Evangelico
Svizzero or PEV), and the Union of Federal Democrats
(Eidgenossisch-Demokratische Union or EDU, Union Democratique
Federale or UDF, Unione Democratica Federale or UDF)
International organization participation: ACCT, AfDB, AsDB,
Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA,
FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MTCR, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNTSO,
UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Alfred DEFAGO chancery: 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Madeleine May KUNIN embassy: Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3005 Bern mailing address: use embassy street address
Flag description: red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag
Economy
Economy—overview: Switzerland, a fundamentally prosperous and stable modern economy with a per capita GDP 15%-20% above that of the big West European economies, experienced an export-driven upturn in its economy in 1998. The downturn in the global economy, however, will have a cooling effect on the 1998 boom in the Swiss export sector, including financial services, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and special-purpose machines. A major downturn in the Swiss economy should still be avoided, as consumer and capital spending have picked up and will keep the economy moving in 1999. GDP growth in 1999 is expected to come in around 1.4%. The growing political and economic union of Europe suggests that Switzerland's time-honored neutral separation is becoming increasingly obsolete. Thus, when the surrounding trade partners launched the euro on 1 January 1999, their firms began prodding Swiss exporters and importers to keep their accounts in euros.