Switzerland Passport

[Country Name] Swiss Confederation.

【 Area 】 41284 square kilometers.

The population is 9.003 million, of which foreign population accounts for about 27.1%. German, French, Italian, and Latin Romance are all official languages, with approximately 62% of residents speaking German, 23% speaking French, 8% speaking Italian, 0.5% speaking Latin Romance, and 23% speaking other languages. 33% of residents believe in Catholicism, 21% in Protestantism, 14% in other religions, and 32% have no religious affiliation. (Information)

Bern, the capital city, has a population of 145900. (Source: Official website of Bern city).

All members of the Federal Council collectively serve as the head of state. The Federal President is rotated by seven members of the Federal Council and represents Switzerland externally, with a term of one year. The 2024 federal president is Viola Amherst (female, center party).

[Important Festival] New Year: January 1st; Easter: the first Sunday after the full moon at the vernal equinox; National Day: August 1st; Christmas: December 25th.

【 Overview 】 A landlocked country located in Central Europe. It borders Austria, Liechtenstein, Italy, France, and Germany. Located in the northern temperate zone, influenced by alternating oceanic and continental climates, the climate changes significantly, with an average annual temperature of 9 ℃.

On August 1, 1291, Uri, Schwyz, and Lower Walden secretly formed a permanent alliance in the struggle against the Habsburg dynasty, marking the beginning of Switzerland's founding. In 1815, the Congress of Vienna confirmed Switzerland as a permanently neutral country. In 1848, a constitution was formulated and the Federal Council was established, becoming a unified federal state. Maintain neutrality in both World Wars.

Implement parliamentary democracy in the political system.

The Constitution was formulated and passed in 1848, and has been amended multiple times since 1874. Switzerland implements direct democracy in the form of "citizen referendum" and "citizen initiative". Any amendment to constitutional provisions, signing of international treaties with a term of more than 15 years, or joining important international organizations must be approved by a citizen vote and passed by each state in order to take effect. In 1999, a new constitution was passed by a referendum in Switzerland, which clearly stipulated that Switzerland is a federal state and each state has its own constitution. The federal government governs foreign affairs, finance, banking, federal taxation, currency, defense, customs, railways, postal and telecommunications, energy, television, broadcasting, and social security, while other affairs are under the jurisdiction of the states. Each state must comply with federal national regulations and accept federal supervision. The new constitution also establishes the principle that international law takes precedence over domestic law.

The Federal Parliament is the highest legislative body, composed of the National Assembly and the Federal Assembly, which have equal powers. Only with unanimous approval from both houses can a law or resolution come into effect. The National Assembly has 200 members elected by universal suffrage, with a term of 4 years; The Federal House has 46 members selected by each state, with terms varying from state to state and a maximum of 4 years. The term of office for the speakers of both houses is one year. Eric Nussbauer (Social Democratic Party), Speaker of the National Assembly, and Eva Herzog (Social Democratic Party), Speaker of the Federal Assembly for the 2023/2024 fiscal year.

The current parliament will be elected in October 2023, and the seats held by the major political parties in both houses are as follows: