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The federal constitution, adopted in 1848 and revised in 1874, assigns specified functions, notably communications, foreign relations, and tariffs, to the confederation, leaving the cantons sovereign in other respects. There is universal male suffrage; women were granted (by a referendum in 1971) the vote in federal elections and may vote in most cantonal and local elections. In a 1981 plebiscite, measures were approved granting equal legal and economic rights for men and women. A major revision of the constitution in 1999 abolished the gold standard for the Swiss franc, established the right to strike, and guaranteed equal opportunities for those with disabilities.
A council of states (two members from each canton, one from each half canton) and a 200-member national council (whose members are directly elected every four years) together form the federal assembly. The chief executive, or federal council, is composed of seven members (elected for four years by the federal assembly) and includes the president of the confederation (elected by the federal assembly annually).
The three largest parties are the Radical, Social Democratic, and Christian Democratic. Switzerland frequently employs the referendum as well as the popular initiative to achieve political change. Cantonal constitutions differ widely. In Unterwalden, Glarus, and Appenzell the entire electorate legislates directly in yearly outdoor meetings called Landsgemeinden; elsewhere a unicameral legislative council and an elected executive council are common.
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