At Stake in this Referendum:  

• Two pieces of legislation

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:  

• Voters will vote on two popular initiatives:
• The first is an initiative to change corporate tax law and reform the old age pension system. Among other changes, the law would change the tax rate on shareholder dividends and the limits on tax break on profits from patents and deductions for investment in research and development. A separate law on corporate taxes and the old age pension system was rejected in 2017.
• The second is an initiative to bring Swiss gun regulations in line with changes to EU regulations, including changes in how automatic and semi-automatic guns are legally purchased. 

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 (est.)