At stake in this referendum:

• Voters will vote on four popular initiatives. 

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Simonetta SOMMARUGA*
• Head of Government: President  Simonetta SOMMARUGA
• Assembly: Switzerland has a bicameral Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung/Assemblée Fédérale/Assemblea Federale) consisting of the Council of States (Ständerat/Conseil des Etats/ Consiglio degli Stati) with 46 seats and the National Council (Nationalrat/Conseil National/Consiglio Nazionale) with 200 seats.

*The Federal Presidency rotates among the 7 members of the Federal Council, which is the formal chief of state. Presently the Federal Council consists of Doris LEUTHARD, Eveline WIDMER-SCHLUMPF, Ueli MAURER, Didier BURKHALTER, Simonetta SOMMARUGA, Johan SCHNEIDER—AMMANN, and Alain BERSET.

Main provisions in the referendum:

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 8,256,000[2]
• Registered voters: 5,254,965[3]

Gender Data:

• Female Population: 4,171,800[4]
• Is SWITZERLAND a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (23 January 1987)[5]
• Has SWITZERLAND ratified CEDAW: Yes (27 March 1997)[6]
• Gender Quota: No, but there are voluntary quotas adopted by political parties[7]
• Female Candidates in this election: N/A
• Number of Female Legislators: 57 (28%) of 200 seats in the National Council (Nationalrat/ Conseil National/ Consiglio Nazionale)[8]
• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 3[9]
• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A[10]

Disability Data:

• Is SWITZERLAND a signatory to CRPD: N/A[11]
• Has SWITZERLAND ratified CRPD: Yes (15 April 2014)[12]
• Population with a disability: 1,199,404[13]