The people
Directly elect the 246 members of the Federal Assembly.
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🇨🇭 Formal national power · source bounded
Who selects whom in Switzerland?
The people elect Parliament; Parliament elects both the collegial executive and federal judges.
Dots are institutions · arrows are sourced powers
Federal system with a collegial executive
Switzerland separates federal legislative, executive, and judicial institutions while giving the Federal Assembly unusually direct responsibility for electing the seven-member Federal Council and federal judges.
Explore the whole systemHow offices are filled
Appointments2 paths
The dots
Institutions represented on this map.
Each institution below has an attached source. Being listed does not imply an unshown formal relationship.
Federal Assembly
The National Council and Council of States exercise federal legislative power.
Federal Council
The seven-member collegial government exercises executive power and implements Parliament's decisions.
Federal courts
The federal judiciary includes the Federal Supreme Court and three other federal courts.
Evidence and limits
Every line has a source. Every missing layer stays visible.
The map describes formal national relationships only. It does not measure democratic quality, legitimacy, actual compliance, or informal influence.
Official or constitutional source
Political system
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
- three levels of government
- direct election of Parliament
- Federal Council composition
The Federal Council
The Federal Council, Swiss Confederation
- executive role
- seven members
- election by Parliament
- four-year term
The Swiss Confederation — a brief guide
Federal Chancellery
- separation of powers
- Parliament elects government
- Parliament appoints federal judges
- Federal Council implements laws