At stake in this election:

• 46 seats in the Council of States (Standerat, Conseil des Etats, or Consiglio degli Stati)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Ruth DREIFUSS *
• Head of Government: President Ruth DREIFUSS
• Assembly: Switzerland has a bicameral Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung, Assemblée Federale) consisting of the Council of States (Standerat, Conseil des Etats, or Consiglio degli Stati) with 46 seats and the National Council (Nationalrat, Conseil National, or Consiglio Nazionale) with 200 seats.

* President of the Confederation and Head of the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sports

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by the Federal Parliament to serve a 1-year term.
• In the Council of States (Standerat, Conseil des Etats, or Consiglio degli Stati) 46 members are to serve 4-year terms*. In the National Council (Nationalrat, Conseil National, or Consiglio Nazionale) 200 members are elected by popular vote via proportional representation to serve 4-year terms.

* The Council of States, consists of 46 members, two elected from each of 20 cantons and one from each of the six half-cantons, according to cantonal procedure.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Social Democrats (SP/PS)
  • Leader: Ursula KOCH
  • Seats won in this National Council election: 6
• Party: Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC)
  • Leader: Ueli MAURER
  • Seats won in this National Council election: 7
• Party: Radical-Democratic Party (FDP/PRD)
  • Leader: Franz STEINEGGER
  • Seats won in this National Council election: 18
• Party: Christian-Democratic People's Party (CVP/PDC)
  • Leader: Adalbert DURRER
  • Seats won in this National Council election: 15

Last Parliamentary election:

• Parliamentary elections were last held on October 22, 1995.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 7,143,991 (1999)
• Registered Voters: 4,620,850 (1999)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 3,654,335 (1999)

·         Is Switzerland a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (23 January 1987)

·         Has Switzerland ratified CEDAW: Yes (27 March 1997)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 45 (National Council); 9 (Council of States) following the 1999 elections

·         Human Development Index Position: 3 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Switzerland a signatory to CRPD: No

·         Has Switzerland ratified CRPD: Yes, accession (15 April 2014)

·         Population with a disability: 1,071,598 (est.)