At stake in this Referendum:

• The referendum will ask voters to decide whether Switzerland should adopt the Electricity Market Act (LME).
• The referendum will also ask voters to determine the allocation of excess gold reserves within the Swiss National Bank (SNB).

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Kaspar VILLIGER
• Head of Government: President Kaspar VILLIGER
• Assembly: Switzerland has a bicameral Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung, Assemblée Féderale) consisting of the Council of States (Standerat, Conseil desEtats, or Consiglio degli Stati) with 46 seats and the National Council (Nationalrat, Conseil National, or Consiglio Nazionale) with 200 seats.

Main provisions in the Referendum:

• Adoption of the Electricity Market Act (LME)
• Transferring the gold reserves to the Old Age and Surviving Dependant's insurance fund (AHV)
• Adoption of the "Gold for the AHV," in which the gold reserves would be set aside for thirty years. From it, the interest accrued from the reserves will be shared between the AHV, the cantons and the Swiss Solidarity Foundation.

Note: None of the provisions were approved as none received a majority of votes.

Population and registered voters:

• Population: 7,284,753 (2002)
• Registered Voters: 4,731,017 (2002)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 3,724,499 (2002)

·         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: N/A

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 45 (National Council); 9 (Council of States) following the 1999 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: 1,092,712 (est.)