The last ballots will be cast in the ballot boxes on Sunday, and the vast majority of Swiss have already voted by post. Both chambers of the parliament – the Federal Assembly – are elected.
The National Council, the lower house of parliament, consists of 200 legislators elected in the 26 cantons of Switzerland.
The upper house – the Council of Cantons – consists of 46 members.
Both chambers are elected for a four-year term.
Polls show the two Green parties will fare worse than in the previous 2019 election, while centrists could win more seats in the lower house of parliament, which would strengthen their position in the executive branch.
According to polls, the three issues most important to the Swiss are rising taxes in the compulsory health insurance system, climate change, which is causing Switzerland’s glaciers to disappear, and worries about migrants and immigration.
The vote could reveal what another European country thinks about right-wing populist politics and the need to allocate funds and other resources to fight global warming at a time when high inflation has squeezed many, even in wealthy Switzerland.
Legislative elections held every four years will ultimately determine the future makeup of the Alpine country’s executive branch. Swiss President Alain Berset, a member of the Federal Council, unexpectedly announced earlier this year that he would leave the government at the end of the year after 12 years in the government.
Each of the seven members of this council holds government ministerial portfolios and rotates annually to hold the highest office of the Swiss president. These duties are largely symbolic and mainly related to representation abroad.
Next year, socialist A. Berset will be replaced by centrist Viola Amherd in the post of president. The four largest parties are represented in the Federal Council: the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, the Socialists, the Liberals with two seats each, and the Center Party with one seat.
The 2-2-2-1 balance of seats in the Federal Council has been called Switzerland’s “magic formula”, which aims to reduce the possibility of individual personalities gaining too much power and ensure balance in governing the country.
The new Federal Assembly – all 246 deputies – will elect members of the government in December.
Candidates do not have to be from the Federal Assembly. He works to ensure that cantons and linguistic communities are fairly represented in government.
In addition, Switzerland has a direct democracy in which voters go to the polls frequently – usually four times a year – and vote on a variety of issues. Parliament must respond to the results of the referendum.
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