Swiss Federal Council

The Swiss Federal Council is Switzerland’s seven-member executive authority. It governs the federal administration and makes decisions collectively, with each member leading a federal department.

Federal Council of Switzerland: Switzerland’s executive authority, composed of seven members elected by the Federal Assembly. This alternate English name identifies the same institution and its constitutional composition.
Swiss Federal Constitution of 1848: The constitution that established Switzerland as a federal state after the Sonderbund War. It created the Federal Council as the new federation’s executive authority.
Swiss Federal Council election: The procedure by which the Federal Assembly elects the seven members of Switzerland’s executive authority. Election by parliament determines who serves on the council and for what term.
Prime minister: The head of government in many parliamentary systems, usually directing a cabinet and setting its political agenda. Unlike a prime minister, no Federal Council member holds a permanent chief-executive role.
Federal Chancellor of Switzerland: The head of the Federal Chancellery, Switzerland’s central staff office supporting the Federal Council. The chancellor coordinates the council’s work without being one of its seven members.
Sonderbund War: A brief 1847 civil war between Catholic conservative cantons and the liberal majority in Switzerland. Its aftermath cleared the way for the 1848 federal state and its executive institutions.
Magic formula (Switzerland): The informal arrangement that long allocated Federal Council seats among Switzerland’s major political parties. Party seat-sharing has shaped the council’s membership since the mid-twentieth century.
Presidential system: A system in which a separately elected president serves as head of state and chief executive. Switzerland’s council combines executive authority without concentrating it in one elected president.
President of the Swiss Confederation: The Federal Council member who chairs the council for a one-year term and represents Switzerland ceremonially. The rotating presidency shows how the council assigns leadership without creating a permanent head of government.
Swiss Confederation: The federal state of Switzerland, comprising cantons and governed through national institutions. The Federal Council is the executive organ of this broader political entity.

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