Federal Council (Switzerland)

The Bundesrat (French Conseil fédéral, Italian Consiglio federale, Romansh Cussegl federal) is the Federal Government of the Swiss Confederation and in accordance with Art 174Vorlage. Kind / Maintenance / ch- search of the Federal Constitution, the " supreme governing and executive authority of the Federation ." The individual members are also called " Federal " or " Federal Councillor "; if it is necessary for linguistic reasons to distinguish between the Authority and the Member, the former is also called " Total Federal ".

As a collegiate authority (Art. 177 para 1Vorlage. Kind / Maintenance / ch- search BV), the Federal Council differs substantially in some cases by the governments of other democratic states. It consists of seven equal, firm elected by the United Federal Assembly for four years members. The Federal Council as a whole (and not the President ) also exerts the protocol-related functions, the responsibility of the head of state in other countries ( such does the Federal Constitution did not before ).

In the creation of the Federal Board of the French Revolution and Ancient Greek authorities served ( Archon ) as a model. Switzerland is the only country in the world that has adapted this system and adopted as the form of government instead of a Westminster system or a presidential system of government. It thus represents a political science Direktorialsystem dar.

After the election of Simonetta Sommaruga in the by-elections of 2010, the Federal Council received a majority woman that he lost the election Alain Bersets as the successor of not more candidates Micheline Calmy -Rey on January 1, 2012 for the first time again.

Choice

The members of the Bundesrat are elected by the United Federal Assembly with an absolute majority. Various attempts to introduce the popular election of the Federal Council were unsuccessful. In each case, in the first session of the newly elected National Council, at the beginning of his four -year legislative period, a complete re-election of the Federal Council takes place. In between are determined annually by the United Federal Assembly from among the members of the Federal President and the Vice President of the Federal Council for the coming year. If a single Federal resigns before the expiry of the term of office, a successor shall be elected, who is elected but only until the next general election to election.

Selectable is in principle any voting Swiss citizens. At every election, some candidates from the " ordinary people" report. Throughout history, however, one not easily darzustellendes election process with numerous written and unwritten rules has evolved, its goal is to ensure the " equitable " balanced representation of the population within the meaning of the Swiss concordance democracy.

The method is based on Art 175Vorlage: Art / Maintenance / ch- search BV and Art 130Vorlage. Kind / Maintenance / ch search, 131Vorlage. Kind / Maintenance / ch search, 132Vorlage: .. Kind / Maintenance / ch- search, 133Vorlage: Art / maintenance / ch- search and 134Vorlage. kind / Maintenance / ch- search ParlA. .

As a parliamentary vote of no confidence is not provided for in the Constitution, Federal Councillors can not be sold during the legislative session. Even a non- re-election of a sitting Federal Council is not common and has happened since 1848, only four times, most recently in 2003, Federal Councillor Ruth Metzler -Arnold, and on December 12, 2007 Federal Councillor Christoph Blocher were not re-elected on 10 December. This also results in a very long term of office of the Federal Councils ( around ten years on average ). The longest serving Federal Council was Karl Schenk 1864-1895; the longest serving cabinet ministers in the 20th century were Giuseppe Motta 1911-1940 and Philipp Etter 1934-1959.

By 2009, even the procedure in case of permanent incapacity of a Federal Council was not regulated. As a Federal Councillor Jean Bourgknecht in May 1962 suffered a stroke, which thus resulting problem of incapacity for office of a member of the Federal Council ad hoc been solved, though from today's perspective on legally problematic way by three family members of the Federal Council on 3 September 1962 in his names declared the resignation. This gap was closed only after a parliamentary initiative in 2005 with the revision of the Parliament Act of 3 October 2008 ( entry into force on 2 March 2009). Meanwhile, Art 140aVorlage. Kind / Maintenance / ch- search sets will detect that in the event of an expected prolonged incapacity for office of a member of the Federal Council as a result of serious health problems or effects that prevent him from returning to his job, the United Federal Assembly at the request the office of the same or of the Bundesrat, the incapacity for office notes.

According to the Act of Parliament, a Federal not be members of Parliament. Nevertheless, the federal councils usually maintain a close contact with the faction of their party and take part in the group meetings in an advisory capacity, but may - in contrast to Group members - neither vote nor make requests.

Department of principle

The seven Federal Councillors actually govern together all the shops, but in practice they are as " Head of Department " per an area of ​​federal ago ( ministerial system ) and are thus comparable with ministers of other countries; colloquially or in the media, the term " minister " for the department head is also common. A head of government with policy-making powers but there are not explicit.

The distribution of the departments will be made in each case after the Federal Council elected by the Federal Council itself, there is no participation rights of Parliament. The procedure is as according to the " seniority ": The longest-serving Federal first selects his department, then the second oldest and so on. The newly elected Federal Council will be allocated the remaining department. In addition, all cabinet ministers are also responsible for all transactions of the other departments and thereby have a significant voice and influence.

The seven members of the Federal Council are supported by the Chancellor or the Chancellor. This and this directs the Federal Chancellery (BK), the Office of the Federal Council.

The Federal Council is made up as follows:

  • The seven members of the Federal Council with Chancellor

Vice President in 2014 Simonetta Sommaruga SP, Canton of Bern Berne Federal Department of Justice and Police (FOJ )

Doris Leuthard CVP, Canton Aargau Aargau Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (UVEK )

Eveline Widmer -Schlumpf BDP, Canton Grisons Federal Department of Finance ( FDF)

Ueli Maurer SVP, Canton Zurich Zurich Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport ( DDPS)

Johann Schneider -Ammann FDP, Canton of Bern Berne Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research ( WBF )

Alain Berset SP, Canton of Fribourg Fribourg Federal Department of Home Affairs (DHA)

Chancellor Corina Casanova CVP, Canton Grisons Federal Chancellery (BK)

Collegiality

The decisions of the Federal Council shall be taken by the College by majority decision and must be also represented by the relevant Head of Department prior to Parliament and the public, if this actually rejects the decision taken ( collegiality ). The Federal Constitution regulates basically just the shape of the decision (Art. 177 para 1Vorlage: Art / Maintenance / ch- search. BV "The Federal Council decides as a college. ") Without handling the principle otherwise, in particular the behavior the members of the Federal Council, made ​​deciding to further express. From time immemorial it has been exceptionally considered permissible for a Federal, derogation from the whole Federal public opinion manifests when he refers to reasons of conscience and the decision does not fall within the processing of their own departments. However, it is observed more often lately that individual cabinet ministers try to disavow decisions of the College, more or less openly. Thus, sense and nonsense of collegiality are also a recurrent theme in the media and in political bodies.

Significant differences between government officials of other countries and the Swiss Federal Councillors are that a Federal Council still is part of the head of state at the same time and that there is no real head of government with authority to issue or at least policy-making powers. Add to this the fact that a Federal Council is elected fixed to a period of four years. The President has in comparison to the rest of the federal councils even in the extreme case, only the casting vote in case of an otherwise undecided vote in the entire Federal Council.

President and Vice President

The United Federal Assembly elects each year of the seven -member Federal Council to the Federal President and the Vice President of the Bundesrat. According to tradition, these positions are transferred sequentially to all members of the Bundesrat. A new Federal Member is normally and subsequently elected first vice-president to the presidency after it has acted under the presidency of all official senior colleagues. The Federal President can not be called a head of state or head of government of Switzerland, since he was the first among equals ( primus inter pares → ) has no extended rights. He passed as deputy of the total Federal representation tasks, and he directs the Federal Council meetings.

Since Switzerland has no head of state, they wont pay no state visits. When the President goes abroad, he does so only as the responsible department head. However, here also exceptions. So represents the President Switzerland at meetings of heads of state ( for example, at the General Assembly of the United Nations ).

According to the protocol-related ranking in Switzerland is the Federal President of Switzerland's highest. In 2014, Didier Burkhalter, Federal President and Vice President Simonetta Sommaruga.

Magic formula

In Switzerland there is a concordance democracy. Under the concordance of will is understood to involve as many different parties, minorities and social groups in a process and make decisions through consensus-building.

This concordance is taken into account in the compilation of the Federal Parliament. However, the concordance in Switzerland is not, as the consideration of the various regions and languages ​​regions plotted by the Constitution, but rather was for decades a tradition. From this concordance in 1959 a so-called magic formula has formed. According to this formula were the three strongest parties, voters, SP, FDP and CVP, two each, and the fourth strongest, SVP, occupying a seat in the Federal Council. This composition remained unchanged until 1999. After that, a seat of the CVP moved to SVP, after it had risen to voters strongest party. The new composition of 2:2:2:1 formula was partly called "new magic formula" or continue to simply " magic formula". They lasted until 2008.

Compensation

A Swiss Federal Council receives an annual salary of 404'791 Swiss francs (in 2002, since then the wages of federal personnel adjusted ) and annual ( non-taxable ) representation allowances of CHF 30'000.

Moreover, members of the state government entitled to two official cars and a chauffeur. When time pressure can be claimed for business travel, a helicopter or jet of the Swiss Air Force. After working as an annual pension of former Federal Magistrate receives from CHF 220,000 if the wage is from a possible profession not more than 220,000 francs.

Federal Council meetings "extra muros "

The entire Federal Council began in 2010, outside the Houses of Parliament ( "extra muros ") may discourage its meetings, to express solidarity with the various parts of the country. He has since met in the cantons of Ticino, Jura (2010), Uri, Valais, Basel-Stadt (2011) and Schaffhausen ( 2012). From 24 April 2013, the Federal Council visited the castle in Prangins in the Canton of Vaud; among others, was held a meeting with the residents of Nyon. On April 16, 2014, the Federal Council for the eighth time a session "extra muros ", now in the canton of Schwyz, where a meeting with the population is planned.

153061
de