Legal system: civil law system influenced by customary law; judicial review of legislative acts, except with respect to federal decrees of general obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Adolf OGI (since 1 January 2000); Vice President Moritz LEUENBERGER (since 1 January 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Adolf OGI (since 1 January 2000); Vice President Moritz LEUENBERGER (since 1 January 2000); 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 1999 (next to be held NA December 2000) election results: Adolf OGI elected president; percent of Federal Assembly vote - Adolf OGI 71.8%; Moritz LEUENBERGER 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 in 1999 (each canton determines when the next election will be held); National Council - last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2003) election results: Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FDP 12, CVP 11, SVP 6, SPS 4, other 1; note - as of 1 January 2000, 12 seats were up for runoff elections; National Council - percent of vote by party - SPS 22.5%, SVP 22.6%, FDP 19.9%, CVP 15.8%, other small parties all under 5%; seats by party - SPS 51, SVP 44, FDP 43, CVP 35, Greens 9, other small parties 18
Judicial branch: Federal Supreme Court, judges elected for six-year terms by the Federal Assembly
Political parties and leaders: Alliance of Independents' Party
(Landesring der Unabhaengigen or LdU, Alliance des Independants or
AdI) ; 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 Cristiandemocratica dalla Svizra or
PCD) ; Freedom Party or FPS [Roland
BORER]; Green Party (Grune Partei der Schweiz or Grune, Parti
Ecologiste Suisse or Les Verts, Partito Ecologista Svizzero or I
Verdi, Partida Ecologica Svizra or La Verda) [Hanspetev THUER,
president]; Radical Free Democratic Party (Freisinnig-Demokratische
Partei der Schweiz or FDP, Parti Radical-Democratique Suisse or PRD,
Partitio Liberal-Radicale Svizzero or PLR) [Franz STEINEGGER,
president]; Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei der
Schweiz or SPS, Parti Socialist Suisse or PSS, Partito Socialista
Svizzero or PSS, Partida Socialdemocratica de la Svizra or PSS)
; Swiss People's Party (Schweizerische
Volkspartei or SVP, Union Democratique du Centre or UDC, Unione
Democratica de Centro or UDC, Uniun Democratica dal Center or UDC)
; Ticino League (Lega dei Ticinesi)
; and other minor parties including Swiss Democratic 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), NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE,
PCA, PFP, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIBH,
UNMIK, UNMOP, UNOMIG, 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 telephone: (202) 745-7900 FAX: (202) 387-2564 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco consulate(s): Boston
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador J. Richard FREDERICKS embassy: Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3005 Bern mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: (31) 357 70 11 FAX: (31) 357 73 44
Flag description: red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag