Long-form name: Swiss Confederation

Type: federal republic

Capital: Bern

Administrative divisions: 26 cantons (cantons, singular--canton in French; cantoni, singular--cantone in Italian; kantone, singular--kanton in German); Aargau, Ausser-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve, Glarus, Graubunden, Inner-Rhoden, Jura, Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich

Independence: 1 August 1291

Constitution: 29 May 1874

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

National holiday: Anniversary of the Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)

Executive branch: president, vice president, Federal Council (German--Bundesrat, French--Conseil Federal, Italian--Consiglio Federale)

Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly (German--Bundesversammlung, French--Assemblee Federale, Italian--Assemblea Federale) consists of an upper council or Council of States (German--Standerat, French--Conseil des Etats, Italian--Consiglio degli Stati) and a lower council or National Council (German--Nationalrat, French--Conseil National, Italian--Consiglio Nazionale)

Judicial branch: Federal Supreme Court

Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Flavio COTTI (1991 calendar year; presidency rotates annually); Vice President Rene FELBER (term runs concurrently with that of president)

Political parties and leaders: Free Democratic Party (FDP), Bruno HUNZIKER, president; Social Democratic Party (SPS), Helmut HUBACHER, chairman; Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP), Eva SEGMULLER-WEBER, chairman; Swiss People's Party (SVP), Hans UHLMANN, president; Green Party (GPS), Peter SCHMID, president; Automobile Party (AP), DREYER; Alliance of Independents' Party (LdU), Dr. Franz JAEGER, president; Swiss Democratic Party (SD), NA; Evangelical People's Party (EVP), Max DUNKI, president; Workers' Party (PdA; Communist), Jean SPIELMANN, general secretary; Ticino League, leader NA Liberal Party (LPS), Gilbert COUTAU, president; National Action Party (NA), Rudolph KELLER, chairman; Republican Party (RP), Franz BAUMGARTNER, president; Progressive Organizations of Switzerland (POCH), Georg DEGEN, secretary; Unitary Socialist Party (PSU), Dario ROBBIANI, president

Suffrage: universal at age 20

Elections: Council of States--last held throughout 1991 (next to be held 1995; results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(46 total) FDP 15, CVP 14, SVP 4, LPS 3, LDU 1; note--9 seats require run-off elections, to be held in November1991 National Council--last held 20 October 1991 (next to be held October 1995); results--FDP %, SPS %, CVP %, SVP %, GPS %, LPS %, AP %, LDU %,SD %, EVP %, Workers Party %, Ticino League 23%, other %; seats--(200 total) FDP 44, SPS 42, CVP 37, SVP 25, GPS 14, LPS 10, AP 8, LDU 6, SD 5, EVP 3, Workers Party 2, Ticino League 2, other 2

Communists: 4,500 members (est.)

Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-8, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IEA, IFAD, ILO, IMF (observer), IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM (guest), NEA, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Edouard BRUNNER; Chancery at 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 745-7900; there are Swiss Consulates General in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco; US--Ambassador Joseph B. GILDENHORN; Embassy at Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3005 Bern; telephone [41] (31) 437-011; there is a Branch Office of the Embassy in Geneva and a Consulate General in Zurich

Flag: red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag

NOTE: The information regarding Switzerland on this page is re-published from the 1991 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Switzerland Government 1991 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Switzerland Government 1991 should be addressed to the CIA.