At Stake in this Referendum:  

• An amendment to the Swiss constitution.

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: President Alain BERSET*  
• Head of Government: President Alain BERSET 
• Assembly: Switzerland has a bicameral Federal Assembly (BBundesversammlung/Assemblée Fédérale/Assemblea Federale) consisting of the Council of States (Ständerat/Conseil des Etats/ Consiglio degli Stati) with 46 seats and the National Council (Nationalrat/Conseil National/Consiglio Nazionale) with 200 seats

*The Federal Presidency rotates among the 7 members of the Federal Council, which is the formal chief of state.  

Electoral Requirements:  

• A majority of the popular vote and the cantons is required for Popular Initiatives to pass.

About this Referendum:  

• This initiative would place a freeze on all building zone extensions, preventing construction on land outside current building zones.

More information on these initiatives is available here and here.

Population and Registered Voters:  

• Population: 8,608,259 (2019 est.)
• Registered Voters: 5,391,090 (2018)

Gender Data:  

• Female Population: 4,339,609 (2019 est.) 
• Is Switzerland a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (since 23 January 1987) 
• Has Switzerland ratified CEDAW: Yes (since 27 March 1997) 
• Gender Quota: No 
• Female candidates in this election: N/A 
• Number of Female Parliamentarians: 74 (29%) 
• Human Development Index Position: 2 (2018)
• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very Low (2019) 

Disability Data:  

• Is Switzerland a signatory to CRPD: Yes 
• Has Switzerland ratified CRPD: Yes 
• Population with a disability: 1,792,000