Switzerland
Council of States
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Political system
Political systems: Presidential, Parliamentary, Presidential-Parliamentary, Monarchy, Communist, Transitional.
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Parliamentary system
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Structure of parliament
Structure of parliament: Unicameral, bicameral
View field in the data dictionary -
Bicameral
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IPU membership
Current membership status
View field in the data dictionary -
Yes
About parliament
Basic information such as the official name of parliament and details of its structure and leadership. Also includes the current breakdown of MPs by sex and age, and provisions for quotas and reserved seats.
- Parliament name
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Bundesversammlung - Assemblée fédérale - Assemblea federale (Federal Assembly)
- Chamber name
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Ständerat - Conseil des Etats - Consiglio degli Stati (Council of States)
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Structure & status of parliament
This field is to indicate lower/upper in the back end.
View field in the data dictionary -
Upper chamber
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Parliamentary term (years)
Length of the parliamentary term in years
View field in the data dictionary -
4
Notes: The length of term and election of the Council of States are governed by cantonal law.
IPU membership
- Affiliation periods
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from 1891
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IPU Geopolitical Group/s
IPU Geopolitical Groups: African Group, Arab Group, Asia-Pacific Group, Eurasia Group, Group of Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC), Twelve Plus Group.
View field in the data dictionary -
Twelve Plus Group
Speaker
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Official title
The Speaker may for example be known as the Presiding Officer, President, Chairman/Chairperson, etc.
View field in the data dictionary -
President of the Council of States
- Speaker
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Caroni Andrea (Male)
Date of birth: 19 Apr 1980 -
Term
Start (and end) of the term of the Speaker
View field in the data dictionary -
02 Dec 2024 to 30 Nov 2025
- Additional information
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Elected on 2 Dec. 2024.
Speaker terms
No information available
Secretary general
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Official title
This post is most commonly called Secretary General or Clerk. It may also be called Secretary, Head/Chief of the Secretariat, Director General, etc.
View field in the data dictionary -
Deputy Secretary General and Secretary of the Council of States
- Secretary General
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Martina Buol (Female)
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Term
Start (and end) of the term of the Secretary general
View field in the data dictionary -
01 Aug 2013
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Notes
Additional information about the Secretary General, in particular regarding their term.
View field in the data dictionary -
Appointed on 1 Aug. 2013.
Members
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Statutory number of members
Statutory number of members, as defined in the constitution or other fundamental law.
View field in the data dictionary -
46
- Principal mode of designation of members
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Directly elected
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Directly elected members
Directly elected by citizens.
View field in the data dictionary -
46
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Current number of members
Number of members who currently hold seats in parliament. May be lower or higher than the statutory number of members.
View field in the data dictionary -
46
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Men
The number of male parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
View field in the data dictionary -
30
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Women
The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
View field in the data dictionary -
16
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Percentage of women
Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
View field in the data dictionary -
34.8%
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Statutory number of members per country
As defined in the constitution or other fundamental laws. Combines the number of parliamentarians in both chambers in bicameral parliaments.
View field in the data dictionary -
246
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Population (in thousands)
Source: United Nations, World Population Prospects.
View field in the data dictionary -
8,870
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Inhabitants per parliamentarian
Calculated by dividing the population by the statutory number of parliamentarians.
View field in the data dictionary -
36,057
Age
Data on the age of parliamentarians is collected at the start of the legislature, following the most recent elections. This data is not updated during the legislature, except when parliament notifies the IPU of a change in the youngest or oldest member.
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Average age of all members
Average age of members, for which data is available, at the time of the last election or renewal.
View field in the data dictionary -
55.0(2023-12)
- Youngest member
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Johanna Gapany (Female)
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Youngest member (years)
Age is calculated at the time the member was elected/appointed to a new legislature. Data is not updated during the legislature unless the member is no longer a member.
View field in the data dictionary -
35
- Oldest member
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Hannes Germann (Male)
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Oldest member (years)
Age is calculated at the time the member was elected/appointed to a new legislature. Data is not updated during the legislature unless the member is no longer a member.
View field in the data dictionary -
67
Number of members, by age (2023-12)
| 18 - 20 | 21 - 30 | 31 - 40 | 41 - 45 | 46 - 50 | 51 - 60 | 61 - 70 | 71 - 80 | 81 - 90 | 91 and over | Totals per gender | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| Female | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Totals per age interval | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 |
| Total <= 45: 11 | Total >= 46: 35 | ||||||||||
| Age at the last election or renewal | Overall | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | |
| 10.9% | 7% | 4.3% | |
| 23.9% | 13% | 10.9% |
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Members for whom data is available
Number of members, at the start of the legislature, for whom age data is available
View field in the data dictionary -
46(2023)
Reserved seats and quotas
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There are reserved seats in parliament for certain groups
Reserved seats are a means to ensure the parliamentary representation of certain groups in society.
View field in the data dictionary -
No
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Electoral quota for women
Quotas to promote gender-balanced representation in parliament
View field in the data dictionary -
Yes
Notes: Voluntary political party quotas.
Sources: C.f. individual party statutes.
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Youth quota
Quotas to promote the representation of youth in parliament.
View field in the data dictionary -
No
Links to additional information
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Parliamentary website
Link(s) to parliamentary web site in English, French and/or local languages.
View field in the data dictionary -
List of members
Link(s) to list of members on the parliamentary web site.
View field in the data dictionary -
Rules of procedure/Standing Orders
Link(s) to Rules of procedure on the parliamentary web site in English, French and/or local language.
View field in the data dictionary -
Constitution
Official links to the Constitution in English, French and/or original language is provided. Links to unofficial translations where no other source is available.
View field in the data dictionary