At stake in this election:

• 46 seats in the Council of States (Standerat, Conseil des Etats, or Consiglio degli Stati)

​Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Micheline CALMY-REY
• Head of Government: President Micheline CALMY-REY
• Assembly: Switzerland has a bicameral Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung, Assemblée Fédérale) consisting of the Council of States (Standerat, Conseil des Etats, or Consiglio degli Stati) with 46 seats and the National Council (Nationalrat, Conseil National, or Consiglio Nazionale) with 200 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is appointed by the Federal Parliament to serve a 1-year term.
• In the Council of States (Standerat, Conseil des Etats, or Consiglio degli Stati) 46 members are to serve 4-year terms*. In the National Council (Nationalrat, Conseil National, or Consiglio Nazionale) 200 members are elected by popular vote via proportional representation to serve 4-year terms.

* Two representatives are elected from each of the 20 cantons and one is elected from each of the six half-cantons, according to cantonal procedure.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Swiss People's Party (SVP-UDC)
  • Leader: Ueli MAURER
  • Seats won in this Council of States election: 7
  • Seats won in last Council of States election: 8
  • Seats won in this National Council election: 62
  • Seats won in last National Council election: 55
• Party: Social Democratic Party (SPS)
  • Leader: Hans-Juerg FEHR
  • Seats won in this Council of States election: 9
  • Seats won in last Council of States election: 9
  • Seats won in this National Council election: 43
  • Seats won in last National Council election: 52
• Party: Radical Free Democratic Party (FDP/PRD)
  • Leader: Fulvio PELLI
  • Seats won in this Council of States election: 11
  • Seats won in last Council of States election: 14
  • Seats won in this National Council election: 31
  • Seats won in last National Council election: 36
• Party: Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP/PDC)
  • Leader: Christophe DARBELLAY
  • Seats won in this Council of States election: 14
  • Seats won in last Council of States election: 15
  • Seats won in this National Council election: 31
  • Seats won in last National Council election: 28
• Party: Green Party
  • Leader: Ruth GENNER
  • Seats won in this Council of States election: 2
  • Seats won in last Council of States election: 0
  • Seats won in this National Council election: 20
  • Seats won in last National Council election: 13

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 7,551,117 (2007)
• Registered Voters: 4,915,533 (2007)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 3,847,587 (2007)

·         Is Switzerland a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (23 January 1987)

·         Has Switzerland ratified CEDAW: Yes (27 March 1997)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 59 (National Council); 10 (Council of States) following the 2007 elections

·         Human Development Index Position: 3 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Switzerland a signatory to CRPD: No

·         Has Switzerland ratified CRPD: Yes, accession (15 April 2014)

·         Population with a disability: 1,132,667 (est.)