Politics, constitution and administrative structure of Switzerland

Politically, Switzerland is considered the Federal Republic. The Constitution in the country was adopted in 1848, and, 26 years later, some improvements were made.The central power in the country is rather poorly developed. The main reins of government are in the hands of the regional governments in cantons. The democracy of Switzerland can not be considered either presidential or parliamentary. The general political system consists of a bicameral parliament and the Federal Council. The Council includes 7 members or federal advisers, who are appointed for a period of 4 years. The parliament elects them.

A council is being formed on the basis of the five largest parties. At the same time, ministers are prohibited from further propaganda of political concepts of their own party. All of them should act exclusively for the benefit of Switzerland, putting this goal above party principles and posts. Each year, one of the seven members of the Federal Council holds the post of president of the country. According to the current Constitution of Switzerland, all seven Ministers of the Federal Council are absolutely equal and must make decisions on the basis of collegial meetings. In this case, the position of the President is only a formality. There are 7 federal ministries in the country, and the activities of each minister are oriented towards the relevant ministry. Abroad, every minister has the right to represent the whole country independently.

The country's parliament consists of two chambers. The first is called the National Council and it embodies the entire Swiss people. The second chamber is the Cantonal Council that represents the cantons as a whole. The first large chamber includes 200 deputies. They are elected every 4 years by the people in every canton. The small chamber of the cantons includes 46 members. There are two representatives from each canton, and one from the half canton, which is a full-fledged subject of the federation. According to the basic rules of the majority system, the people of each canton elect representatives of the region to the Cantonal Council. Both chambers of the Government are engaged in approving federal laws and strict control over the actions of the Federal Council, including the President. The peculiarity of the political structure of Switzerland is the relative equality of both chambers of Parliament, so that large cantons are not able to press on small areas. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The Federal Supreme Court is located in Lausanne. At the same time, its authority does not include the recognition of federal laws as unconstitutional. Its members are elected by the Federal Assembly for a period of six years. Traditionally, in Switzerland there is a militia system. All armed forces of the country were formed precisely on the basis of active citizens. Therefore, to date, there are practically no professional soldiers in Switzerland. All men liable for military service are urged to take courses annually, which allow citizens to combine professional activities with military service.

The practice of direct democracy allows citizens to influence on certain political decisions. Such democratic principles are considered to be among the most developed in the world. Swiss citizens can even propose a bill - it is necessary to collect 100 000 signatures for that - or protest against any law adopted by Parliament. The second form of democracy is the Referendum. And if citizens can collect 50 000 signatures in 100 days, after the adoption of a specific law, it can be challenged after voting on the Referendum. That is why, even in the case of the slightest disapproval from the citizens, the Government is trying to reform the legislation in order to avoid dissatisfaction of the population. The Swiss foreign policy is extremely loyal, which allowed to avoid various destructive wars. This gave an incredibly strong impetus for the development of a stable and reliable economic system.