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Comparative Politics and Government

Notes passed by the NPC or the decrees promulgated by its Standing Committee. It shows that he is not a
powerful figure like the Presidents of America and France. However, as this post is held by a powerful
leader of the Communist party, his actual position very much depends on his place in the Party
hierarchy. It is well said: ‘The position is largely ceremonial, though it has always been held by a
senior party leader and has sometimes been used as a base for advancing one’s personal power.”
The Plural Executive of Switzerland

Plural Executive: In all countries of the world, the executive is singular as it is headed by one person
whether he is a President or a Prime Minister and the like. But the Federal Council of Switzerland is
a unique model of collegial or plural presidency. It has seven members (ministers) and all of them are
designated as the ‘Presidents’. The salaries, allowances and powers of all the Presidents are equal. It
is just for the sake of performing certain ceremonial functions that on the basis of seniority, one of
them is designated as the President of the Confederation for one year and another as the Vice-President.
Healthy conventions prevail whereby the Federal Assembly elects the same persons again and again
for a term of four years. Not more than one President can belong to the same canton, while the
cantons of Zurich, Berne and Vaud are invariably represented. Not only this, not more than two
presidents should belong to the same political party. Hence, it is always like a coalition government.
The whole arrangement is unique and, as Lord Bryce says, it “deserves best study”.
President: One of the Councillors is designated as the President and the other as the Vice-President
by the Federal Assembly for one year. According to an established practice, this is done on the basis
of seniority and the office rotates among the seven Councillors. A new member of the Council serves
beneath all his seniors and the retiring President goes to the bottom of the list. Hence, it is quite
obvious that in case a Federal Councillor serves for more than a period of seven years, he may get
two terms (though not consecutively) of the Presidency. For instance, S.G. Motta enjoyed five terms,
Herr Muller three, and Dr. Phillippe Eter four.
The President of the Federal Council is also known as the President of the Swiss Confederation. But
the designation of the presidency is a matter of courtesy. The Swiss executive is plural or collegial
which automatically implies that it has no single head. The Swiss President is neither the primus inter
pares, nor the party boss, nor the chief administrator. After the expiry of his one year term, he becomes
one like others and during the term as well, he acts like a chairman having formal precedence over
others. He receives salary equal to his other colleagues except a small remuneration for meeting the
cost of official entertainments; he gets no palatial residence or special transport, nor is there any
grandeur of his high office. The decisions are taken by the majority of votes and the President has the
right of casting vote to break a tie. It is thus clear that the Swiss President “is, strictly speaking, no
such person because there is no such office.”
Of course, the Swiss President neither reigns nor governs, he is given the position of formal precedence
over his colleagues for the simple reason that there are certain ceremonial functions which cannot be
performed simultaneously by persons more than one. He appoints ambassadors, receives and sees
off foreign guests, represents the Confederation at home and abroad, and to a limited extent, possesses
emergency powers. The Swiss Presidency is thus a matter of ceremonial necessity. Unlike the American
President, he does not select his colleagues, or appoint officials, or veto bills or negotiate treaties, or
send messages, or act as the real executive; nor like the British Prime Minister he plays instrumental
in the choice of his colleagues and their ways of working. On the whole, it brings to its holder only a
nominal honour, and thus the Swiss people “are apt to forget who their President is just now, although
they are likely to know by name the majority of the members of the Federal Council.”
Functions and Powers: Article 102 of the Swiss Constitution contains a long list of the functions and
powers of the Federal Council which for the sake of a convenient study may be grouped under these
heads:
1. The Federal Council is the executive arm of the federal government. It conducts the affairs of
the Confederation in accordance with federal laws and decrees. It must ensure due observance
of the Constitution, the laws and decrees of the Confederation and federal treaties. It supervises
the guarantee of cantonal constitutions given by the Federal Assembly and, as such, it examines

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