Lausanne is the capital and largest city of the Swiss French-speaking canton of Vaud. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lac Léman, about halfway between the Jura Mountains and the Alps, and facing the French town of Évian-les-Bains across the lake. Lausanne is located 62 kilometres northeast of Geneva, the nearest major city.
The University of Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland, was founded in 1537 as a school of Protestant theology, before being made a university in 1890. The university is the second oldest in Switzerland, and one of the oldest universities in the world to be in continuous operation. As of fall 2017, about 15,000 students and 3,300 employees studied and worked at the university. Approximately 1,500 international students attend the university, which has a wide curriculum including exchange programs with other universities.
The Republic and Canton of Neuchâtel is a mostly French-speaking canton in western Switzerland. In 2007, its population was 169,782, of whom 39,654 were foreigners. The capital is Neuchâtel.
Switzerland elects on national level a collective head of state, the Federal Council, and a legislature, the Federal Assembly.
The Federal Assembly is the federal bicameral parliament of Switzerland. It comprises the 200-seat National Council and the 46-seat Council of States. It meets in Bern in the Federal Palace.
Solidarity is a socialist and Trotskyist political party, present in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, in the cantons of Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel and Fribourg. The party is a member of the European Anti-Capitalist Left. It was the furthest left party represented in the National Council until losing their only seat in 2023.
The Grand Council is the parliament of the Swiss canton of Bern.
The Grand Council of Geneva is the legislature of the canton of Geneva, in Switzerland. Geneva, styled as a 'Republic and Canton', has a unicameral legislature. The Grand Council was established in its present form and with 100 seats in 1842, with members elected every four years. Its oldest ancestor is the Council of Two Hundred, founded in 1526. Members of the canton's executive, the Council of State, are elected a month later.
The Grand Council of Neuchâtel is the legislature of the canton of Neuchâtel, in Switzerland. Neuchâtel, styled as a Republic and Canton, has a unicameral legislature. The Grand Council has 100 seats, with members elected every four years.
The Grand Council of Valais is the legislature of the canton of Valais, in Switzerland. Valais has a unicameral legislature.
The Council of State of the Canton of Vaud is the executive organ of the Canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. Vaud has a seven-member Conseil d'État. The responsibilities of the Council of State is to run the administration, submit laws and decrees to the Grand Council, observe a budget and adopt regulations or directives. Essentially, the Cantons define their own structure within federal regulations. Switzerland consists of twenty-six cantons in which each can influence the federal government. Vaud is a part of these cantons, and it is the central area connected to high trafficked communication routes in Switzerland.
Pierre-Yves Maillard is a Swiss politician of the Social Democratic Party. He was successively a deputy for the canton of Vaud on the National Council, a member of the Council of State of Vaud at the head of the department of health and social action, again national advisor and advisor to the states since the end of 2023.
Guy Bernard Parmelin is a Swiss Federal Councillor and head of the Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research. A member of the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC), he has been a member of the Federal Council since 2016, and has led the Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research since 2019. He previously led the Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports between 2016 and 2018. He served as president of Switzerland in 2021, having previously served as vice president of Switzerland in 2020.
Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 20 October 2019 to elect all members of both houses of the Federal Assembly. This was followed by the 2019 election to the Swiss Federal Council, the federal executive, by the United Federal Assembly.
A by-election to the Swiss Federal Council was held on 20 September 2017, after federal councillor Didier Burkhalter (FDP-NE) announced he would leave the Council effective 31 October 2017. The by-election resulted in the election of Ignazio Cassis (FDP-TI), resulting in no change in the partisan composition of the council.
By-elections to the Swiss Federal Council were held on 7 December 2022, after federal councillors Ueli Maurer (SVP-ZH) and Simonetta Sommaruga (SP-BE) announced they would leave the Council effective 31 December of the same year. The parliament elected Albert Rösti and Élisabeth Baume-Schneider respectively to replace them.
Assemblée communale or assemblée primaire is the current name of the legislative power of certain communes of Switzerland. Every citizen is part of the assembly and may participate in it simply by showing their bulletin d'électeur (ballot). The assembly is called Assemblée communale in the cantons of Bern and Fribourg, Assemblée primaire in the Valais and Conseil général in the canton of Vaud.
