chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Federal Council or German - Bundesrat, French - Conseil
Federal, Italian - Consiglio Federale elected by the Federal Assembly
from among its own members for a four-year term
elections : president and vice president elected by the Federal
Assembly from among the members of the Federal Council for one-year
terms that run concurrently; election last held 4 December 1996 (next
to be held NA December 1997)
election results: Arnold KOLLER elected president; percent of Federal
Assembly vote - NA; Flavio COTTI elected vice president; percent of
legislative vote - NA

Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly or German -
Bundesversammlung, French - Assemblee Federale, Italian - Assemblea
Federale consists of the Council of States or German - Standerat,
French - Conseil des Etats, Italian - Consiglio degli Stati (46 seats;
members are elected two from each canton and one from each half canton
to serve four-year terms) and the National Council or German -
Nationalrat, French - Conseil National, Italian - Consiglio Nazionale
(200 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a basis of
proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Council of States - last held throughout 1995 (each canton
determines when the next election will be held); National Council -
last held 20 October 1995 (next to be held NA October 1999)
election results: Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - PRD 17, PDC 16, UDC 5, PSS 5, LPS 2, LdU 1; National
Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRD 45, PSS
55, PDC 34, UDC 29, Greens 10, LPS 7, FPS 6, LdU/EVP 5, SD 3, PdAdS 3,
Ticino League 2, EDU 1

Judicial branch: Federal Supreme Court, judges elected for six-year
terms by the Federal Assembly

Political parties and leaders: Radical Free Democratic Party
(Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei der Schweiz or FDP, Parti
Radical-Democratique Suisse or PRD, Partitio Liberal-Radicale Svizzero
or PLR) [Franz STEINEGGER, president]; Social Democratic Party
(Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz or SPS, Parti Socialist Suisse
or PSS, Partito Socialista Svizzero or PSS, Partida Socialdemocratica
de la Svizra or PSS) [Peter BODENMANN, president]; Christian
Democratic People's Party (Christichdemokratische Volkspartei der
Schweiz or CVP, Parti Democrate-Chretien Suisse or PDC, Partito
Democratico-Cristiano Popolare Svizzero or PDC, Partida
Cristiandemocrati