universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Kasper VILLIGER (since 1
January 2002); Vice President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January 2002);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January 2002); note -
the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet:
Federal Council or Bundesrat (in German), Conseil Federal (in French),
Consiglio Federale (in Italian) 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 5 December 2001 (next to be held NA December 2002) election results:
Kasper VILLIGER elected president; percent of Federal Assembly vote -
74.4%; Pascal COUCHEPIN elected vice president; percent of legislative
vote - 58.5%

Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung (in
German), Assemblee Federale (in French), Assemblea Federale (in Italian)
consists of the Council of States or Standerat (in German), Conseil
des Etats (in French), Consiglio degli Stati (in Italian) (46 seats -
members serve four-year terms) and the National Council or Nationalrat
(in German), Conseil National (in French), Consiglio Nazionale (in
Italian) (200 seats - members are elected by popular vote on the basis
of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections:
Council of States - last held NA 1999 (each canton determines when the
next election will be held); National Council - last held 24 October 1999
(next to be held NA October 2003) election results: Council of States -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FDP 18, CVP 15, SVP 7,
SPS 6; National Council - percent of vote by party - SPS 22.5%, SVP 22.6%,
FDP 19.9%, CVP 15.8%, other small parties all under 5%; seats by party -
SPS 51, SVP 44, FDP 43, CVP 35, Green Party 9, other small parties 18

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

Political parties and leaders: 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 Cristiandemocratica dalla Svizra
or PCD) [Philipp STAEHELIN, president]; Green Party (Grune Partei
der Schweiz