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Switzerland Government 1996
Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German) Confederation Suisse (French)
Confederazione Svizzera (Italian)
Schweiz (German) Suisse (French) Svizzera (Italian)
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Administrative divisions:
26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in French; cantoni, singular -
cantone in Italian; kantone, singular - kanton in German); Aargau,
Ausser-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve,
Glarus, Graubunden, Inner-Rhoden, Jura, Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden,
Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino,
Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich
Anniversary of the Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)
civil law system influenced by customary law; judicial review of legislative
acts, except with respect to federal decrees of general obligatory
character; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
18 years of age; universal
chief of state and head of government:
President Kaspar VILLIGER (1995 calendar year; presidency rotates annually);
Vice President Jean-Pascal DELAMURAZ (term runs concurrently with that of
president)
Federal Council (German - Bundesrat, French - Censeil Federal, Italian -
Consiglio Federale); elected by the Federal Assembly from own members
bicameral Federal Assembly (German - Bundesversammlung, French - Assemblee
Federale, Italian - Assemblea Federale)
German - Standerat, French - Conseil des Etats, Italian - Consiglio degli
Stati; elections last held throughout 1991 (next to be held NA 1995);
results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (46 total) FDP 18, CVP 16,
SVP 4, SPS 3, LPS 3, LdU 1, Ticino League 1
German - Nationalrat, French - Conseil National, Italian - Consiglio
Nazionale; elections last held 20 October 1991 (next to be held NA October
1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (200 total) FDP 44,
SPS 42, CVP 37, SVP 25, GPS 14, LPS 10, AP 8, LdU 6, SD 5, EVP 3, PdA 2,
Ticino League 2, other 2
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Political parties and leaders:
Free Democratic Party (FDP), Franz STEINEGGER, president; Social Democratic
Party (SPS), Peter BODENMANN, president; Christian Democratic People's Party
(CVP), Anton COTTIER, president; Swiss People's Party (SVP), Hans UHLMANN,
president; Green Party (GPS), Verena DIENER, president; Freedom Party (FPS),
Roland BORER, president; Liberal Party (LPS), Christoph EYMANN, president;
Alliance of Independents' Party (LdU), Monica WEBER, president; Ticino
League, Giuliano BIGNASCA, president; and other minor parties including the
Automobile Party (AP), Swiss Democratic Party (SD), Workers' Party (PdA),
and the Evangelical People's Party (EVP); note - see elections
AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE,
EFTA, ESA, FAO, G- 8, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),
OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIH,
UNOMIG, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
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Diplomatic representation in US:
Ambassador Carlo JAGMETTI
2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Pago Pago (American
Samoa), and San Francisco
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US diplomatic representation:
Ambassador M. Larry LAWRENCE
Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3005 Bern
use embassy street address
red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not
extend to the edges of the flag
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