New Parline: the IPU’s Open Data Platform (beta)
Your one-stop-shop for information about national parliaments

Switzerland

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National Council

This is a bicameral parliament. Switch to theCouncil of States
Political system Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
Parliamentary system
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Structure of parliament Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
Bicameral
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IPU membership Current membership status
Yes
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Data on women

empty

Basic information > About parliament

Speaker

Speaker
Marina Carobbio Guscetti (Female)
Year of birth
1966
See historical data for this field.

Secretary general

Secretary general
Philippe Schwab (Male)
Notes Additional information about the Secretary General, in particular regarding their term.
Appointed on 1 July 2013.

Members

Current number of members, by sex
Women The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
65
See historical data for this field.
Percentage of women Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
32.5% See historical data for this field.

Age

Average age of all members
Not available
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Youngest member (years) Age at the time of the last election or renewal.
26
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Youngest member
Mathias Reynard (Male)
Oldest member (years) Age at the time of the last election or renewal.
82
Oldest member
Jacques Neirynck (Male)
Total number of MPs, 45 years of age or younger
48
Total number of MPs, 46 years of age or older
152
Total per sex
Total of male
138
Total of female
62
Total per age interval
18-20
0
21-30
3
31-40
27
41-45
18
46-50
30
51-60
74
61-70
46
71-80
1
81-90
1
91 and over
0
Number of members, by age
Breakdown of members by age and gender
18 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 45 46 - 50 51 - 60 61 - 70 71 - 80 81 - 90 91 and over Totals per gender
Totals per age interval 0 3 27 18 30 74 46 1 1 0
Total <= 45: 48 Total >= 46: 152
Male 0 1 15 12 21 52 35 1 1 0 138
Female 0 2 12 6 9 22 11 0 0 0 62
Percentage of members, by age
Age as last election or renewalOverallMaleFemale
Percentage of MPs 30 years of age or younger1.5%0.5%1%
Percentage of MPs 40 years of age or younger15%8%7%
Percentage of MPs 45 years of age or younger24%14%10%

Reserved seats and quotas

Electoral quota for women Quotas to promote the representation of women in parliament.
Yes
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Notes
Voluntary political party quotas.
Elections > Election results

Candidates

Total number of candidates Total number of people who registered as candidates for election. Does not include people who stood as candidates to become "substitute members".
3,788
Number of female candidates Number of female candidates
1,308
Percentage of women candidates The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women candidates by the total number of candidates.
34.53%
Number of candidates, by sex
Number of female candidates Number of female candidates
1308
Percentage of women candidates The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women candidates by the total number of candidates.
34.53%

Results

Members elected, by sex
Number of men elected
136
Number of women elected
64
Percentage of women elected The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women elected in the election and the number of seats at stake at the election.
32%
Number of women after election or renewal, by mode of designation
Women Directly Elected
64

New legislature

Total number of men after the election The total number of male parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
136
Total number of women after the election The total number of female parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
64
First Speaker of the new legislature
First Speaker of the new legislature First name of the Speaker of the new legislature following the election or renewal.
Christa Markwalder (Female)
Political party
FDP.The Liberals (FDP/PLR)
Date of election
30.11.2015
Elections > Historical data on women

Women's suffrage

Women’s right to vote
Right to vote Year in which women obtained the right to vote
1971
National or local Suffrage: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
Universal
Notes Suffrage: Additional Notes on right of suffrage
Due to the cantonal and federal system of granting suffrage, the political participation of women was not fully integrated on a national level until 1990. Appenzell was the last canton to recognize women's suffrage.
Women’s right to stand for election
Right to stand for election Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election
1971
National or local Stand for Election: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage Stand for Election : Restricted or Universal
Universal
Notes Stand for Election: Additional Notes on right to stand for election
Due to the cantonal and federal system of granting suffrage, the political participation of women was not fully integrated on a national level until 1990. Appenzell was the last canton to recognize women's suffrage.
First woman in parliament
First woman in parliament Year in which first woman entered parliament
1971
Notes

Women Heads of State or Government

Woman Heads of State or Government
Not available
See historical data for this field.
Parliamentary bodies > Caucuses

Women

Caucus name
Groupe des femmes parlementaires
Date of creation
01.1990
Formal or informal
Informal
The caucus is open to male MPs
No
The caucus is cross-party
No
There are rules governing the functioning of the caucus
No
Issues dealt with by the caucus
- Debate on the global gender gap in collaboration with the World Economic Forum - Parliamentary discussion on maternity insurance
The caucus has a strategic plan or plan of action
No
The caucus has a communication plan
No