Swiss politics and political institutions: 3. Government and Parliament Prof. Dr. Andreas Ladner iMPA 2012

| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 | What is the difference between the United States and Great Britain?

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| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 | Presidential vs. parliamentary systems  Presidential systems: US, South America (Chile, Colombia, Peru, Argentina,...), South Korea, Sudan, Uganda  Parliamentary systems: Great Britain, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, India, Singapore „The White House“ „No. 10 Downing Street“

| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 | Features Parliamentary systems  Majority of the parliament decides on the government  If the party(ies) in power loses the majority a new government is needed (new elections)  This system additionally needs someone at th top of the country, especially if the government is dismissed  Centralization of power in the hands of the government and the majority in parliament  High level of discipline within the parliamentary group in power  The opposition controls the government Presidential systems  Head of government is at the same time the head of the country  Directly elected by the citizens  His/her destiny does not depend on the parliament  Independence of government and parliament (checks and balances)  The parliament controls the president

| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 | Advantages of a presidential system  The President is directly elected  Separation of power  Speed and decisiveness  Stability

| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 | Inconveniences of a presidential system  Tendency towards authoritarianism  Political gridlock between president and parliament  How to guarantee leadership change?

| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 | Advantages of a parliamentary system  It is easier to pass legislations  Bears attractive features for nations that are ethnically, racially, or ideologically divided  Power is more evenly spread  More room for debates  Juan Linz: more successful for the transision to democracy

| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 | Inconveniences of a parliamentary system  No direct legitimacy of the prime minister through elections (?)  Common destiny of prime minister and majority of the parliament  Members of parliament are restricted to support prime minister

| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 | France: semi-presidential system  The semi-presidential system is a system of government in which a president and a prime minister are both active participants in the day- to-day administration of the state. It differs from a parliamentary republic in that it has a popularly elected head of state who is more than a purely ceremonial figurehead, and from the presidential system in that the cabinet, although named by the president, is responsible to the legislature, which may force the cabinet to resign through a motion of no confidence.  The term was first coined in a 1978 work by political scientist Maurice Duverger to describe the French Fifth Republic, which he dubbed a régime semi-présidentiel.

| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 | The Swiss system Swiss democracy: neither presidential (like for example the US) nor parliamentary (like for example England).

| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 | The Government  Multi-party government (power sharing)  7 Departments  Equal rights and duties for all members  President = primus inter pares  Joint decisions on all departments  A common „official“ position to be defended by all members

| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 | The Parties in Government (

| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 | Steps towards the magic formulae – power sharing : Joseph Zemp (CVP) : Jean-Marie Musy (CVP) : Rudolf Minger (SVP) : Ernst Nobs (SP) : Hans-Peter Tschudi (SP, BS, 129) and Willy Spühler (SP, ZH, 149) ?

| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 | The Head of the Government changes every year ( )

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| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 | Federal Council  Since the very beginning of Switzerland the Government always counted seven members with equal competences. The chairperson („president“) changes every year.  Art. 174 Federal Council The Federal Council shall be the supreme governing and executive authority of the Confederation.

| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 | Art. 175 Composition and election 1 The Federal Council shall have seven members. 2 The members of the Federal Council shall be elected by the Federal Assembly following each general election to the National Council. 3 They shall be elected for a term of office of four years from all the Swiss citizens who are eligible for election to the National Council. 4 In electing the Federal Council, care must be taken to ensure that the various geographical and language regions of the country are appropriately represented.

| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 | The meeting room

| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 | Two principles  The principle of departements  The principle of collegiality

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| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 |  Elections: Every four years after the elections of the national council. Electoral body: Members of the two chambers of the parliament.

| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 | Popular initiative for the election of the federal council by the people

| ©IDHEAP – | | 23/10/2015 | The elections of the Federal Council