POLITICS OF SWITZERLAND:
- Conventional long form name: Swiss Confederation
- Capital city: Bern
- Type of government: Formally a confederation but similar in structure to a federal republic.
- Date of independence: August 1, 1291
- National holiday: Founding of the Swiss Federation: August 1
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Chief of State and Head of Government: Ueli Maurer
- Executive Branch/Power: The Federal Council has seven members. Each year, a different member becomes the Federal President. The Federal Council members are known to be very personable and will engage in conversation with regular people without being pulled away by body guards. Instead of the executive power having control of the branch, there is a committee with a president. Each of the seven officers have equal power and each have control of a ministry
- Legislative Branch/Powers: This branch has 46 seats with 2 representatives. Members serve four years.
- Judicial Branch/Powers: The highest branch in the Judicial branch is the Federal Supreme Court which consists of 38 judges and 31 substitutes. It is organized into 5 sections.
- Suffrage: People who are at least 18 years old, are citizens of Switzerland, and are not under guardianship due to mental illness or mental disability can vote.
- Ambassador to the U.S.: Manuel Sager
- Swiss embassy in U.S.: 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, D.C 20008
- Swiss consulates in the U.S.: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee. and The Cayman Islands.
- U.S. ambassador to Switzerland: Donald S. Beyer Jr.
- Location of U.S. embassy in Switzerland: Sulgeneckstrasse 19, Berne
- Location of U.S. consulates in Switzerland: Geneva, Zurich
- Swiss representative to UN: Ambassador Remigi Winzap
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Switzerland Flag
- Symbolism of flag: People say "The coat of arms of the federation is, within a red field. This flag has a white cross on it. Long ago, when Swiss men went to fight in a war, they didn't have any formal uniforms or anything of the sort so they carried around their religion with them.
- National symbols: Alphorn, Coat of arms of Switzerland, Flag of Switzerland, Swiss Psalm.