Presidency - The Presidency By Country - Switzerland Presidency

Switzerland Presidency

The unique aspect of Switzerland’s government and politics is that any one citizen can challenge any law voted by federal parliament and any citizen can introduce a new amendment to the federal constitution, which makes Switzerland the closest example of a direct democracy in the world today. In definition, a direct democracy is the extraordinary amount of participation a citizen can have in the legislation process. The adaption of direct democracy for Switzerland, however, dates all the way back to the 12th century during the Middle Ages.

The President of Switzerland is a current member of Switzerland’s executive branch, which is the seven-member Swiss Federal Council. Presidential power in Switzerland is limited, consistent with its commitment to direct democracy. Any Swiss citizen eligible to be a member of the National Council can be elected; candidates do not have to register for the election or to actually be members of the National Council. Unlike most countries, where the presidential term can be up to eight years (two four-year terms), the President of the Swiss Confederation is only appointed one year at a time. The President of the Confederation chairs the meetings of the Federal Council and undertakes special representational duties, while continuing to head his or her department. The Swiss President is not the Head of State of the country; the Federal Council administers both the Head of State and the Head of Government, which emphasizes that the executive power is not concentrated on only one person. Traditionally the duty of presidency rotates among the members in order of seniority and the previous year's Vice President becomes President.