From popular votes and initiatives to political parties and the peculiarities of Swiss federalism; the many aspects of the Swiss political system involve the authorities at all levels - federal, cantonal and communal.

There is already a wide range of information online about the Swiss political system, but it tends to be rather scattered. ch.ch/democracy brings this all information together on a single platform and makes it easy to access via a series of links to the relevant websites of the Confederation, cantons and communes. There is also a large number of new texts with illustrations and multimedia content helping to explain the issues.

From practice to theory

As with all content on the web portal of the Swiss authorities, that on ch.ch/democracy aims to respond to the public's needs and cover all aspects of life in Switzerland. There are practical tips on how to correctly fill out a ballot paper, how to launch a referendum or popular initiative, as well as more general information on the role of the cantonal authorities, the separation of powers and on the tasks and activities of parliamentarians and the Federal Council. The content is kept up to date, new material is frequently added, and it is all available in five languages - Italian, French, German, Romansh and English.

One portal for everybody

During the 2015 National Council elections the Swiss public showed great interest in the explanations on how the Swiss political system functions, when ch.ch published content on the ch.ch/elections2015 website. ch.ch/democracy is a continuation of this concept, providing a useful information base for the elections to be held in 2019. The information provided is addressed not only at the Swiss public, but also at interested persons in other countries, in particular Swiss living abroad, who will find lots of specific information on how they can exercise their political rights in their country of origin.

ch.ch

The ch.ch website forms part of the Swiss e-government strategy and is run by the Federal Chancellery. Its popularity continues to grow, and in 2016 it reached a new record number of users, exceeding 10 million hits for the first time. There is a framework agreement setting out the objectives and funding of the site. The new content on ch.ch/democracy is covered by the ch.ch standard budget and does not therefore generate any extra costs.

The political system at a single click