What is the structure of the Swiss Parliament?
The Federal Assembly is bicameral – i.e. it has two houses. It is also known as Bundesversammlung in German, Assemblee Federale in French or Assemblea Federale in Italian. The Federal Assembly is comprised of the consists of the Council of States and the National Council. The Council of States consists of 46 seats. Each canton sends two members while each half-canton sends one member. Members serve four-year terms. The Council of States is also known as or Standerat in German, Conseil des Etats in French or Consiglio degli Stati in Italian. The National Council has 200 seats – members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms. The National Council is also known as Nationalrat in German, Conseil National in French or Consiglio Nazionale in Italian.
