Politics Ledger · Europe
Switzerland
Liberal democracyDirectorial republicFederal
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Switzerland parliamentary seats — snapshot dated Elected 22 October 2023 (3y 1mo ago). Curated data may lag the live series. View data sources.
In charge
Guy Parmelin
President of the Confederation (2026)
Time in power
0.8 yrs
since 2026
Government seats
80%
majority
Next national vote
2027-10
Federal
Governance score
90/100
composite of five indices
Switzerland grew from medieval alpine alliances into a federal state that binds four language communities and two confessions through decentralisation, consensus government and direct democracy.
Leadership
Who Governs Switzerland
Head of state
Federal Council (collective)
Collective head of state
Since 16 November 1848 · 177.9 years
Head of government
Holds executive powerGuy Parmelin
President of the Confederation (2026) · Swiss People's Party
Since 1 January 2026 · 0.8 years
Age 67 (born 1959)ManRoute to power: elected by parliament
Ruling coalition
"Magic formula" concordance: SVP (2), SP (2), FDP (2) and The Centre (1) share the seven-member Federal Council
Main opposition
No formal opposition; Greens and Green Liberals are outside government
Last national election
22 October 2023
Federal
SVP gained to 27.9%; Greens lost ground.
Next national election
24 October 2027
Federal
Ignazio Cassis (FDP) is vice president for 2026. Major policy is often decided by popular votes held four times a year.
Recent changes (last 12 months)
Parliament
National Council
Seat distribution (Elected 22 October 2023), ordered from economic left to right.
| Party | Ideology | Seats | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swiss People's Party (SVP) | National conservatism | 62 | governing |
| Social Democratic Party (SP) | Social democracy | 41 | governing |
| The Centre (Mitte) | Christian democracy | 29 | governing |
| FDP. The Liberals (FDP) | Classical liberalism | 28 | governing |
| Green Party (GPS) | Green politics | 23 | opposition |
| Green Liberal Party (GLP) | Green liberalism | 10 | opposition |
| Others (EVP, EDU, MCG, Lega) (OTH) | Various | 7 | opposition |
Ideology
Party Landscape
Each party placed on economic and social axes, sized by seats.
Institutions
The System
- Official name
- Swiss Confederation
- Capital
- Bern (federal city)
- Population
- 9 million
- Statehood
- Confederation from 1291; federal state 1848; Constitution revised 1999
- System
- Directorial republic
- Structure
- Federal
- Current constitution
- 1999
- Legislature
- Federal Assembly
- Lower / sole chamber
- National Council (200 seats)
- Upper chamber
- Council of States (46)
- Electoral system
- Open-list proportional by canton for the National Council; cantonal rules for the Council of States.
- Term limits
- The federal presidency rotates yearly among the seven Federal Councillors.
Sources
- Swiss Parliament
- Federal Chancellery
- EIU Democracy Index 2024; Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2025; RSF World Press Freedom Index 2025; Transparency International CPI 2024; IPU Parline, 2026; V-Dem v15 Liberal Democracy Index (approximate five-year readings)
Last verified 2026-10-29. Party placements are editorial estimates.
Data as of 2026-10-29.