he legislature consists of the National Council (representing the people, with 200 deputies) and the Council of States (representing the cantons, with 46 deputies). Together these two bodies make up the Federal Assembly. The executive is the Federal Council, a collegiate authority consisting of seven members, each with equal rights, who are elected by the Federal Assembly. The Federal Council, in turn, elects one of its members to serve as Federal President for a one-year term of office. This “primus inter pares” then chairs the weekly sessions of the Federal Council, but has no special rights over fellow-members. The supreme organ of the judiciary is the Federal Supreme Court, based in Lausanne. However, political power in the country rests with Parliament and the people, rather than the Federal Council. The people play a quite direct and effective part in political life through referenda, and, by gathering the required number of signatures, can intervene in political affairs at any time.
The Federal Assembly