At Stake in this Election: 

On 22 September 2024, Switzerland will hold a referendum consisting of two initiatives on biodiversity and pension system reforms. The biodiversity initiative would establish a 600 million Swiss francs per year for the conservation of diverse species and enact an action plan to promote biodiversity throughout the cantons. The pension reform initiative would increase monthly contributions to “second pillar” pension accounts among other changes. 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: President Alain BERSET (since 1 January 2023) 

• Head of Government: President Alain BERSET (since 1 January 2023) 

• Assembly: bicameral Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung) with a 46-seat Council of States (Ständerat) and a 200-seat National Council (Nationalrat) 

Electoral System:  

• The President is elected from among the Federal Council by vote of the Federal Assembly. The President serves 1-year, non-consecutive terms. 

• The Federal Council is indirectly elected by the Federal Assembly, and members serve 4-year terms. 

• In the Council of States, 42 members are directly elected by absolute majority vote, and 4 members (from Jura and Neuchâtel cantons) are directly elected by list proportional representation vote. Member term lengths vary by constituency (canton). 

• In the National Council, 194 members are directly elected by proportional representation vote, and 6 are directly elected by plurality vote. All members serve 4-year terms. 

Last Election: 

On 6 June 2024, Switzerland held a referendum on initiatives relating to health insurance, healthcare costs, and renewable energy. Only the renewable energy initiative was passed. Voter turnout was 45%. 

Information for Voters:  

Popular vote on 22 September 2024 (in German, French, Italian, Romansch, and English) 

Key Deadlines: 

• Voter registration deadline: N/A; Switzerland uses a passive, residence-based voter registration system. 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 8,563,760 (2023 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 5,583,221 (2023) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 4,325,131 (2023 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Signed 23 January 1987, Ratified 27 March 1997 

• Gender Quota: No 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 16 out of 46 (35%) in the Council of States and 77 out of 200 (39%) in the National Council 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.962, Very High, Rank 1 (2022) 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 9.9 (2023) 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Ratified (by accession) 15 April 2014 

• Projected population with a disability: 1,284,564 (2023 est.)  

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in Switzerland: No  

• Election Access: Yes 

• Election Judgements: Yes, 5 judgments and 13 resources