123-542: The Federal Council is the federal cabinet of the Swiss Confederation . Its seven members also serve as the collective head of state and government of Switzerland. Since after World War II, the Federal Council is by convention a permanent grand coalition government composed of representatives of the country's major parties and language regions . While the entire Federal Council is responsible for leading
246-545: A council of ministers , or the similar council of state . Some German-speaking areas use the term " senate " (such as the Senate of Berlin ) for their cabinet, rather than the more common meaning of a legislative upper house. However, a great many countries simply call their top executive body the cabinet, including Israel , the United States , Venezuela , and Singapore , among others. The supranational European Union uses
369-483: A considerable period after the particular cabinet disbands, depending on provisions of a nation's freedom of information legislation. In theory the prime minister or premier is first among equals . However, the prime minister is ultimately the person from whom the head of state will take advice (by constitutional convention) on the exercise of executive power , which may include the powers to declare war, use nuclear weapons, and appoint cabinet members. This results in
492-463: A country is, the smaller is its cabinet. A council of advisers of a head of state has been a common feature of government throughout history and around the world. In Ancient Egypt , priests assisted the pharaohs in administrative duties. In Sparta , the Gerousia , or council of elders, normally sat with the two kings to deliberate on law or to judge cases. The Maurya Empire under the emperor Ashoka
615-492: A day trip to some attractions in the President's home canton. In that and other respects, the council operates like a board of directors of a major corporation. Each Federal Councillor heads a government department, much like the ministers in the governments of other countries. Colloquially and by the press (especially outside Switzerland), they are often referred to as ministers even though no such post formally exists. For example,
738-567: A decision-making head of state or head of government . In some countries, particularly those that use a parliamentary system (e.g., the United Kingdom ), the cabinet collectively decides the government's direction, especially in regard to legislation passed by the parliament . In countries with a presidential system , such as the United States , the cabinet does not function as a collective legislative influence; rather, their primary role
861-601: A different convention: the European Commission refers to its executive cabinet as a " college ", with its top public officials referred to as " commissioners ", whereas a " European Commission cabinet " is the personal office of a European Commissioner. The term comes from the Italian gabinetto , which originated from the Latin capanna , which was used in the sixteenth century to denote a closet or small room. From it originated in
984-555: A failed referendum on railway nationalisation did the Radicals decide to co-opt the Conservatives by supporting the election of Josef Zemp . The process of involving all major political movements of Switzerland into the responsibility of government continued during the first half of the 20th century. It was hastened by the FDP's and CVP's gradually diminishing voter shares, complemented by
1107-560: A few governments, as in the case of Mexico , the Philippines , the UK, and the U.S., the title of " secretary " is also used for some cabinet members ("Secretary of Education", or "Secretary of State for X" in the UK or the Netherlands ). In many countries (e.g. Germany, Luxembourg , France , Spain , etc.), a secretary (of State) is a cabinet member with an inferior rank to a minister. In Finland ,
1230-607: A high degree of fluency in German, French, and Italian. Each year, one of the seven councillors is elected by the United Federal Assembly as President of the Confederation . The Federal Assembly also elects a vice president of Switzerland. By convention, the positions of president and vice president rotate annually, each councillor thus becoming vice president and then president every seven years while in office. According to
1353-416: A member resigns, they are generally replaced by someone who is not only from the same party, but also the same language group. In 2006, however, Joseph Deiss , a French-speaker , resigned and was succeeded by Doris Leuthard , a German-speaker . In 2016, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf , a German-speaker, was succeeded by Guy Parmelin , a French-speaker. Most recently, in 2023, German-speaking Simmonetta Sommaruga
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#17330943053801476-457: A national icon. It is special in that it stops for just over a second at the end of each minute, to wait for a signal from the master clock which sets it going again — thus keeping all station clocks synchronised. The clock owes its technology to the particular requirements of operating a railway. First, railway timetables do not list seconds; trains in Switzerland always leave the station on
1599-503: A new Conservative Democratic Party , the SVP/UDC was left in opposition for the first time since 1929, but returned into the council with the election of Ueli Maurer on 10 December 2008, who regained the seat previously held by Schmid, who had resigned. The SVP/UDC regained its second seat on the Council in 2015 , when Widmer-Schlumpf decided to resign after the SVP/UDC's large election gains in
1722-481: A presidential system, a president who is also head of government and political leader may depart from the cabinet's advice if they do not agree with it. In practice, in nearly all parliamentary democracies that do not follow the Westminster system, and in three countries that do ( Japan , Ireland , and Israel ), very often the cabinet does not "advise" the head of state as they play only a ceremonial role. Instead, it
1845-418: A presidential system, the cabinet in a parliamentary system must not only be confirmed, but enjoy the continuing confidence of the parliament: a parliament can pass a motion of no confidence to remove a government or individual ministers. Often, but not necessarily, these votes are taken across party lines. In some countries (e.g. the U.S.) attorneys general also sit in the cabinet, while in many others this
1968-463: A presidential system. The legislature may also remove a cabinet member through a usually difficult impeachment process. In the cabinet, members do not serve to influence legislative policy to the degree found in a Westminster system; however, each member wields significant influence in matters relating to their executive department . Since the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt , the President of
2091-545: A seat to fill presents two candidates with mainstream viewpoints to the United Federal Assembly, which then chooses one. This was not so, however, during the 2003 election , which was the most controversial in recent memory. Until the end of the 19th century, it was informally required of Federal Councillors to be elected to the National Council in their canton of origin every four years to put their popularity to
2214-437: A secretary of state is a career official that serves the minister. While almost all countries have an institution that is recognisably a cabinet, the name of this institution varies. In many countries, (such as Ireland , Sweden , and Vietnam ) the term "government" refers to the body of executive ministers; the broader organs of state having another name. Others, such as Spain , Poland , and Cuba , refer to their cabinet as
2337-455: A short circuit on a long-distance power transmission line in central Switzerland led to a chain reaction. The entire Swiss railway network was out of service during rush hour and an estimated 200,000 people and 1,500 trains were stuck at stations or somewhere on the track. It turned out that the SBB power transmission network was overloaded and did not provide enough redundancy to tolerate the shutdown of
2460-538: A sitting Councillor. This has only happened four times – to Ulrich Ochsenbein in 1854, to Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel in 1872, to Ruth Metzler in 2003 and to Christoph Blocher in 2007. In practice, therefore, Councillors serve until they decide to resign and retire to private life, usually after three to five terms of office. Unlike most senior members of government in other countries, the Federal Councillors are not entitled to an official residence . However,
2583-835: A supreme council of elite lords. In the Songhai Empire , the central government was composed of the top office holders of the imperial council. In the Oyo Empire , the Oyo Mesi , or royal council, were members of the aristocracy who constrained the power of the Alaafin , or king. During the Qing dynasty , the highest decision-making body was the Deliberative Council . In the United Kingdom and its colonies, cabinets began as smaller sub-groups of
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#17330943053802706-408: A term of four years after each federal parliamentary election , without the possibility of recall or a vote of no confidence . Incumbents are not term-limited and are by convention almost always re-elected; most serve around 8 to 12 years in office. As of 2024, the members of the Federal Council are, in order of seniority: The Federal Council was instituted by the 1848 Federal Constitution as
2829-678: A term of four years by both chambers of the Federal Assembly sitting together as the United Federal Assembly. Each Federal Council seat is up for (re-)election in the order of seniority, beginning with the Councillor who had the longest term of office. The office holders are then elected individually by secret ballot by an absolute majority of the valid votes. Every adult Swiss citizen is eligible (and could even be elected against his own will), but in practice, only members of Parliament or more rarely, members of cantonal governments, are nominated by
2952-521: A test. This practice was known under the French term of élection de compliment . The first Councillor who failed to be reelected ( Ulrich Ochsenbein ) lost his election to the National Council in 1854. Once elected, Councillors remain members of their political parties, but hold no leading office with them. In fact, they usually maintain a certain political distance from the party leadership, because under
3075-445: Is SBB. While the official Romansh name, Viafiers federalas svizras (VFF), can be found in federal laws and associated documents, as well as Romansh-language media, it is not used by the company itself. Swiss Federal Railways is divided into three divisions and eight groups. The divisions manage the relevant operational businesses. These divisions are: The former division Cargo became an independent group company at
3198-520: Is as an official advisory council to the head of government. In this way, the president obtains opinions and advice relating to forthcoming decisions. Legally, under both types of system, the Westminster variant of a parliamentary system and the presidential system, the cabinet "advises" the head of state: the difference is that, in a parliamentary system, the monarch , viceroy , or ceremonial president will almost always follow this advice, whereas, in
3321-480: Is eligible for nomination to cabinet based on electoral outcomes. For instance in the Philippines, candidates who have lost in any election in the country may not be appointed to cabinet positions within one (1) year of that election. The candidate prime minister and/or the president selects the individual ministers to be proposed to the parliament, which may accept or reject the proposed cabinet composition. Unlike in
3444-410: Is often very discreet." Cabinet (government) A cabinet in governing is a group of people with the constitutional or legal task to rule a country or state, or advise a head of state, usually from the executive branch . Their members are known as ministers and secretaries and they are often appointed by either heads of state or government. Cabinets are typically the body responsible for
3567-442: Is reduced accordingly." Serving federal councillors "enjoy a certain number of special benefits, from free telephone contracts to a chauffeur-driven car for official business, a courtesy car for personal use or the use of federal planes and helicopters for official business trips. Each member of the Federal Council also has the right to a first-class SBB GA travelcard (also in retirement). They are also given personal security, which
3690-609: Is responsible for passenger traffic in Germany. It operates the Wiesentalbahn and the Seehas services. Other subsidiaries are THURBO , RegionAlps , AlpTransit Gotthard AG , Cisalpino , and TiLo (the latter in conjunction with Italian authorities). Swiss Federal Railways hold significant shares of the Zentralbahn and Lyria SAS . The Stiftung Historisches Erbe der SBB (" SBB Historic ")
3813-471: Is strictly prohibited, as the attorneys general are considered to be part of the judicial branch of government. Instead, there is a Minister of Justice , separate from the attorney general. Furthermore, in Sweden, Finland, and Estonia , the cabinet includes a Chancellor of Justice , a civil servant that acts as the legal counsel to the cabinet. In multi-party systems , the formation of a government may require
Federal Council (Switzerland) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3936-457: Is the fact that the eighth non-voting member of government, the chancellor, who sets the government agenda, was also a woman. In total, there have been ten female councillors in the period 1989 to present: Until 1999, the Constitution mandated that no canton could have multiple representatives on the Federal Council at the same time. For most of Swiss history, the canton of any given councillor
4059-640: Is the national railway company of Switzerland . The company, founded in 1902, is headquartered in Bern . It used to be a government institution , but since 1999 it has been a special stock corporation whose shares are held by the Swiss Confederation and the Swiss cantons . It is currently the largest rail and transport company of Switzerland; it operates on most standard gauge lines of the Swiss network . It also heavily collaborates with most other transport companies of
4182-559: Is under increased strain. "Latin speakers" – people who either speak French, Italian, or Romansh – now form a majority on the council, despite more than seventy percent of the Swiss citizens speaking German as a first language. Likewise, no current Federal Councillors grew up in an urban area (with the exception of Karin Keller-Sutter , who spent some school years in Neuchâtel NE ). Whenever
4305-472: Is usually the head of government (usually called " prime minister ") who holds all means of power in their hands (e.g. in Germany , Sweden , etc.) and to whom the cabinet reports. In both presidential and parliamentary systems, cabinet officials administer executive branches, government agencies, or departments. Cabinets are also important originators for legislation. Cabinets and ministers are usually in charge of
4428-404: The 2015 election , being replaced by Guy Parmelin . Women gained suffrage on the federal level in 1971. They remained unrepresented in the Federal Council for three further legislatures, until the 1984 election of Elisabeth Kopp . In 1983, the failed election of the first official female candidate, Lilian Uchtenhagen and again in 1993 the failed election of Christiane Brunner (both SP/PS),
4551-522: The English Privy Council . The term comes from the name for a relatively small and private room used as a study or retreat. Phrases such as "cabinet counsel", meaning advice given in private to the monarch, occur from the late 16th century, and, given the non-standardised spelling of the day, it is often hard to distinguish whether "council" or "counsel" is meant. The Oxford English Dictionary credits Francis Bacon in his Essays (1605) with
4674-510: The Federal Assembly approved the purchase of Schweizerische Centralbahn (SCB) to operate trains on behalf of the federal government. The first train running on the account of the Swiss Confederation ran during the night of New Year's Eve 1900/New Year's Day 1901 from Zürich via Bern to Geneva , and received a ceremonial welcome upon arriving in Bern. SBB's management board was first formed in mid-1901, and added Schweizerische Nordostbahn (NOB) to
4797-692: The Federal Palace houses living apartments for both the Federal Chancellor and President of the Confederation . Mostly, Federal Councillors have chosen to rent apartments or hotel suites in Bern at their own expense. However, they are entitled to use the Federal Council's country estate, Lohn , for holidays, and this estate is also used to host official guests of the Swiss Confederation. While Councillors can draw on an Army security detail if they need personal protection, in particular during official events, they are often encountered without any escort in
4920-742: The Radicals (presently FDP. The Liberals ). After winning the Sonderbund War (the Swiss civil war) against the Catholic cantons, the Radicals at first used their majority in the Federal Assembly to fill all the seats on the Federal Council. This made their former war opponents, the Catholic-Conservatives (presently the Christian Democratic People's Party , CVP), the opposition party . Only after Emil Welti 's resignation in 1891 after
5043-473: The Swiss order of precedence , the president of the Confederation is the highest-ranking Swiss official. They preside over council meetings and carry out certain representative functions that, in other countries, are the business of a head of state. In urgent situations where a council decision cannot be made in time, they are empowered to act on behalf of the whole council. Apart from that, though, they are primus inter pares , having no power above and beyond
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5166-408: The Zentralbahn , in which SBB holds shares. In the 19th century, all Swiss railways were owned by private ventures. The economic and political interests of these companies led to lines being built in parallel and some companies went bankrupt in the resulting competition. On 20 February 1898 the Swiss people agreed in a referendum to the creation of a state-owned railway company. Later that year,
5289-501: The canton of Bern were elected in 2010 . As of 2023, four cantons have never been represented on the Federal Council: Nidwalden , Schaffhausen , Schwyz , Uri . The canton of Jura is the most recent canton to be represented; since 1 January 2023, it has been represented by Elisabeth Baume-Schneider . With the council's 2023 iteration, the constitutional requirement that languages and regions be appropriately balanced
5412-429: The federal administration of Switzerland , each Councillor heads one of the seven federal executive departments. The President of the Swiss Confederation chairs the council, but exercises no particular authority; rather, the position is one of a first among equals and rotates among the seven Councillors annually. The Federal Council is elected as a body by the 246 members of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland for
5535-569: The politburo , such as the Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union . This is an organ of the communist party and not a state organ, but due to one-party rule, the state and its cabinet (e.g. Government of the Soviet Union ) are in practice subordinate to the politburo. Technically, a politburo is overseen and its members selected by the central committee , but in practice it was often
5658-489: The "supreme executive and directorial authority of the Confederation". When the Constitution was written, constitutional democracy was still in its infancy, and the founding fathers of Switzerland had little in the way of examples. While they drew heavily on the United States Constitution for the organisation of the federal state as a whole, they opted for the collegial rather than the presidential system for
5781-510: The 1600s the English word cabinet or cabinett which was used to denote a small room, particularly in the houses of nobility or royalty. Around this time the use of cabinet associated with small councils arose both in England and other locations such as France and Italy. For example, Francis Bacon used the term Cabanet Counselles in 1607. In presidential systems such as the United States, members of
5904-424: The 1830s had also had good experiences with that mode of governance. Today, only three other states, Bosnia and Herzegovina , Andorra and San Marino , have collective rather than unitary heads of state. However the collegial system of government has found widespread adoption in modern democracies in the form of cabinet government with collective responsibility. The 1848 constitutional provision providing for
6027-453: The CVP/PDC's Ruth Metzler . Due to controversies surrounding his conduct in office, a narrow Assembly majority did not reelect Blocher in 2007 and chose instead Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf , a more moderate SVP/UDC politician, against party policy. This led to a split of the SVP/UDC in 2008. After liberal regional SVP/UDC groups including Federal Councillors Widmer-Schlumpf and Samuel Schmid founded
6150-493: The Councillors address each other formally (e.g. Mrs. Sommaruga, Mr. Berset), even though they are on first name terms with each other. This is done to separate the items on the agenda from the person promoting them. After the meetings, the Councillors take lunch together. The council also meets regularly in conclave to discuss important topics at length; it annually conducts what is colloquially referred to as its " field trip ",
6273-448: The Councillors to official receptions. Federal councillors receive an annual salary of CHF 472,958, plus another CHF 30,000 annually for expenses. The councillors pay tax on this income. Former councillors with at least four years of service receive a pension equivalent to half the salary of Federal Council members in office. If a councillor leaves office for health reasons, they may receive this pension even if their length of service
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#17330943053806396-461: The FDP councillors seats were unsuccessfully attacked by the green party. The following councillors were reelected: Following the resignation of Alain Berset as of 31 December 2023, replacement elections were held: In addition, Viktor Rossi ( GLP ) was newly elected as Federal Chancellor with 135 out of 245 votes cast in the second round of voting. Additionally Viola Amherd was elected President of
6519-546: The Federal Council ;– and indeed the institution of the Council itself – has remained unchanged to this day, even though Swiss society has changed profoundly since. The 1848 Constitution was one of the few successes of the Europe-wide democratic revolutions of 1848 . In Switzerland, the democratic movement was led – and the new federal state decisively shaped – by
6642-399: The Federal Council's unique nature as a voluntary grand coalition of political opponents, its operation is subject to numerous constitutional conventions . Most notable is the principle of collegiality ; that is, the Councillors are not supposed to publicly criticise one another, even though they are often political opponents. In effect, they are expected to publicly support all decisions of
6765-712: The French-speaking part of Switzerland. Another integrated control centre will be opened in Zürich. All trains and most buildings have been made non-smoking since the timetable change of 11 December 2005. By the end of 2006, the corporation was handed over from the long-term CEO Benedikt Weibel to his successor Andreas Meyer . On 13 January 2019, Bloomberg reported that SBB was in talks with German aviation company Lilium GmbH to create air taxis to carry customers from train stations to their final destination. The Swiss Federal Railways clock designed by Hans Hilfiker has become
6888-707: The Passenger division got all modern Re 460s and opted for multiple unit trains, mainline locomotives were bought only by the Cargo division, namely Re 482 "Traxx F140 AC" (2002), Re 484 "Traxx F140 MS" (2004) and Re 474 "ES64 F4" (2004). The first multiple units originated from the Seetalbahn , which was formed in 1922. Larger series were uncommon until after 1950: Be 4/6 (1923), De 4/4 (1927), BDe 4/4 (1952), RBe 4/4 (1959), RBDe 560 "NPZ" (1984) and RABe 520 " GTW " (2002). The first multiple unit trainsets were bought for
7011-521: The Social Democrats were also temporarily included with Ernst Nobs . The 1959 elections, following the resignation of four councillors, finally established the Zauberformel , the "magical formula" that determined the council's composition during the rest of the 20th century and established the long-standing nature of the council as a permanent, voluntary grand coalition . In approximate relation to
7134-494: The Swiss Confederation for the year 2024 and Karin Keller-Sutter was elected vice president of the Federal Council for the year 2024. Following the elections there was a departmental reshuffle. Élisabeth Baume-Schneider took over the Federal Department of Home Affairs vacated by Alain Berset and newly elected Beat Jans took over Baume-Schneiders Justice and Police Department. The members of the Federal Council are elected for
7257-681: The Swiss Federal Railways announced its largest order of rolling stock; buying 59 double-deck EMUs ( Twindexx ) from Bombardier, plus an option for another 100 trainsets. The new trains were originally intended to be delivered starting in 2012, but due to several delays, deliveries began in 2017 and end by 2020. In addition, SBB has received and, as of 2016, is still in the process of delivering, New Pendolinos and has ordered 29 SMILEs , with an option for 92 more, expected to enter service in 2019. SBB uses three official languages: German, French, and Italian. The Romansh -speaking regions in
7380-523: The United States has acted most often through his own executive office or the National Security Council rather than through the cabinet as was the case in earlier administrations. Although the term "Secretary" is usually used to name the most senior official of a government department, some departments have different titles to name such officials. For instance, the Department of Justice uses
7503-401: The United States , a cabinet under a presidential system of government is part of the executive branch. In addition to administering their respective segments of the executive branch, cabinet members are responsible for advising the head of government on areas within their purview. They are appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the head of government and are therefore strongly subordinate to
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#17330943053807626-696: The age of modern bogie-based locomotives without trailing axles started with the Re 4/4 (1946), followed by the Ae 6/6 (1952), Re 4/4 / Re 4/4 (1964–1971), Re 6/6 (1972), Re 450 (1989) and Re 460 / Re 465 "Lok 2000" (1992–1994). The delivery of the last Re 465 marked the end of the Swiss locomotive industries with the closure of the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works . The Swiss Federal Railways were split into three divisions: Passenger, Freight and Infrastructure, each with independent locomotive supply policies. Because
7749-477: The beginning of 2019. SBB's eight groups manage the company and support the operational business of the divisions with service and support functions. These groups are: The corporation is led in an entrepreneurial manner. A performance agreement between Swiss Federal Railways and the Swiss Confederation defines the requirements and is updated every four years. At the same time the compensation rates per train and track-kilometre are defined. A subsidiary, SBB GmbH ,
7872-412: The bill at issue. The decisions themselves are formally taken by voice vote by a majority of the Councillors present at a meeting. However, the great majority of decisions are arrived at by consensus ; even though lately there is said to be a trend towards more contentious discussions and close votes. The meetings of the Federal Council and the result of the votes taken are not open to the public, and
7995-439: The cabinet are chosen by the president, and may also have to be confirmed by one or both of the houses of the legislature (in the case of the U.S., it is the Senate that confirms members with a simple majority vote). Depending on the country, cabinet members must, must not, or may be members of parliament. The following are examples of this variance: Some countries that adopt a presidential system also place restrictions on who
8118-432: The cabinet or junior ministers, must publicly support the policy of the government, regardless of any private reservations. Although, in theory, all cabinet decisions are taken collectively by the cabinet, in practice many decisions are delegated to the various sub-committees of the cabinet, which report to the full cabinet on their findings and recommendations. As these recommendations have already been agreed upon by those in
8241-420: The cabinet who hold affected ministerial portfolios, the recommendations are usually agreed to by the full cabinet with little further discussion. The cabinet may also provide ideas on/if new laws were established, and what they include. Cabinet deliberations are secret and documents dealt with in cabinet are confidential. Most of the documentation associated with cabinet deliberations will only be publicly released
8364-460: The canton of Grisons of Switzerland is served mostly by the Rhaetian Railway . Trains are branded "SBB CFF FFS". Stations are named and signposted exclusively in the language of the locality. Stations of bilingual cities are named and signposted in both local languages (e.g. Biel/Bienne and Fribourg/Freiburg). The timetable only uses such official names regardless of the languages of
8487-458: The cantons, the political parties and major interest groups are invited, and in which all members of the public can participate. If a change in a federal statute is to be proposed to the Federal Assembly, this step is mandated by law. In such cases, the consultation procedure also serves to identify political concerns that could later be the focus of a popular referendum to stop passage of
8610-448: The cities was reduced to under one hour, resulting in good connections from these stations for most trains. Some connections between cities got two trains in each direction per hour or more, and the S-Bahn services were intensified to four or more trains per hour. Because of these changes 90% of the timetable was changed, 12% more trains were scheduled and travel times generally improved. It was
8733-402: The coalition or members of parliament can still vote against the government, and the cabinet can break up from internal disagreement or be dismissed by a motion of no confidence. The size of cabinets varies, although most contain around ten to twenty ministers. Researchers have found an inverse correlation between a country's level of development and cabinet size: on average, the more developed
8856-461: The council are always prepared by the responsible department. Accordingly, a change in the salaries of federal employees would be proposed to the council by the head of the Federal Department of Finance , to whose department the Federal Office of Personnel belongs. Before a vote is taken at a council meeting, though, all proposals are circulated in writing to the heads of departments, who commission
8979-444: The council, even against their own personal opinion or that of their political party. In the eye of many observers, this convention has become rather strained after the 2003 elections (see below). Due to the fact that technically no sole federal councillor but rather the entire council in corpore is the Swiss head of state , Federal Councillors did for a long time not travel abroad in official business. In other countries, Switzerland
9102-649: The country serving Swiss cities such as Interlaken , Bern , Basel , Zurich , and Chur . Under the name TGV Lyria the French railway company SNCF operates TGV connections to Switzerland. Lyria SAS, a company established under French law, is a subsidiary of the French National Railway Company, SNCF, which owns 74%, and the Swiss Federal Railways, which owns 26%. TGV Lyria serves several Swiss cities including Geneva , Lausanne , Basel, Zurich, Bern, and Interlaken. It also provides services to certain locations including Brig ( Valais ), especially during
9225-461: The country, such as the BLS , one of its main competitors, to provide fully integrated timetables with cyclic schedules . SBB was ranked first among national European rail systems in the 2017 European Railway Performance Index for its intensity of use, quality of service, and safety rating. While many rail operators in continental Europe have emphasised the building of high-speed rail , SBB has invested in
9348-415: The day-to-day management of the government and response to sudden events, whereas the legislative and judicial branches work in a measured pace, in sessions according to lengthy procedures. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countries, it is a collegiate decision-making body with collective responsibility , while in others it may function either as a purely advisory body or an assisting institution to
9471-720: The entire power supply. In the same year, the Swiss Federal Railways received the Wakker Prize , an award given out by the Swiss Heimatschutz (an institution aiming to preserve significant buildings), which is usually only granted to communes, for their extraordinary efforts. The Swiss Federal Railways have many listed buildings from well-known architects such as Herzog & de Meuron , Santiago Calatrava , and Max Vogt . In May 2010, SBB's first integrated network control centre opened in Lausanne , to supervise all of SBB's network in
9594-557: The executive branch of government ( directorial system ). This accommodated the long tradition of the rule of collective bodies in Switzerland. Under the Ancien Régime , the cantons of the Old Swiss Confederacy had been governed by councils of pre-eminent citizens since time immemorial, and the later Helvetic Republic (with its equivalent Directorate) as well as the cantons that had given themselves liberal constitutions since
9717-517: The first recorded use of "cabinet" by itself for such a body comes from 1644, and is again hostile and associates the term with dubious foreign practices. The process has repeated itself in recent times, as leaders have felt the need to have a Kitchen Cabinet or "sofa government". Under the Westminster system, members of the cabinet are Ministers of the Crown who are collectively responsible for all government policy. All ministers, whether senior and in
9840-425: The first use of "Cabinet council", where it is described as a foreign habit, of which he disapproves: "For which inconveniences, the doctrine of Italy, and practice of France, in some kings' times, hath introduced cabinet counsels; a remedy worse than the disease". Charles I began a formal "Cabinet Council" from his accession in 1625, as his Privy Council, or "private council", was evidently not private enough, and
9963-486: The four cable Amsteg - Steinen power line due to construction work. So, the power grid was split in two parts, the northern half being overloaded and the southern half having a load reduction for the SBB power plants are situated in the southern part (the Alps ), while most of the power is needed in the northern part (the Swiss plateau ). The situation led to high voltage fluctuations and finally breakdown and emergency shutdown of
10086-442: The full minute. Secondly, all the clocks at a railway station have to run synchronously in order to show reliable time for both passengers and railway personnel anywhere on or around the station. The station clocks in Switzerland are synchronized by receiving an electrical impulse from a central master clock at each full minute, advancing the minute hand by one minute. The second hand is driven by an electrical motor independent of
10209-464: The greatest timetable change since the introduction of the Taktfahrplan . For this change to be possible, large parts of the infrastructure had to be modified and many stations were rebuilt, for instance the line from Ziegelbrücke to Sargans or Bern main station which got the "wave of Bern", a platform over the tracks to provide better access to the platforms and the city centre. On 22 June 2005
10332-426: The head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports is often called "the Swiss defence minister", even though no such post officially exists. However, as council members, they are not only responsible for their own department, but also for the business of their colleagues' departments, as well as for the conduct of the government and the federal administration as a whole. Decisions to be taken by
10455-458: The head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs . Visiting heads of state are received by the Federal Council in corpore . The Federal Council operates mainly through weekly meetings, which are held each Wednesday at the Federal Palace in Bern , the seat of the Swiss federal government . Apart from the seven Councillors, the following officials also attend the meetings: During the meetings,
10578-449: The introduction of the Taktfahrplan on the line Zürich–Meilen–Rapperswil in 1967: RABDe 12/12 "Mirage" (1965) and RABDe 8/16 "Chiquita" (1976). Multiple unit trainsets started to prevail in the 1990s, especially for commuter traffic: RABDe 500 "ICN" (1999), RABe 523 (et al.) " FLIRT " (2004), RABe 514 "DTZ" (2006), and RABe 503 (2008). While locomotive-hauled trains are rarely seen in commuter traffic nowadays, they are still
10701-645: The line Seebach – Wettingen together with the Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon (MFO), using the future Ce 4/4 locomotives ("Eva" and "Marianne"). The electrification of the network started 1919, motivated by the coal shortages during the First World War , and new electric locomotives were introduced: Ce 6/8 / Ce 6/8 "Crocodile" (1920–1926), Be 4/6 (1920), Be 4/7 (1921), Ae 3/6 (1921), Ae 3/6 (1924), Ae 3/6 (1925), Ae 4/7 (1927) and Ae 4/6 (1941). A shift of paradigms happened in 1946, when
10824-583: The master clock. It requires only about 58.5 seconds to circle the face, then the hand pauses briefly at the top of the clock. It starts a new rotation as soon as it receives the next minute impulse from the master clock. This movement is emulated in some of the licensed timepieces made by Mondaine . Steam engines of the early days of the Swiss Federal Railways were, among others, the Ed 2x2/2 , E 3/3 , A 3/5 , B 3/4 and C 5/6 . The first electric trial runs using single-phase alternating current were made in 1903 on
10947-487: The music correspond to the acronyms SBB CFF FFS, transposed by means of the German notes "Es - B - B" (E ♭ , B ♭ , B ♭ ), "C - F - F" (C, F, F) and "F - F - Es" (F, F, E ♭ ). For the German acronym, as there is no "S" note, the "Es" was used. And for the last letter, it is the B ♭ /G ♭ chord that is played. The melody is played on a vibraphone . The melody played depends on which canton (or country onboard international services)
11070-509: The opening of Switzerland due to the Kennedy assassination, foreign travels of Federal Councillors were only normalized after the dissolution of the USSR . The most recent federal council elections were held on 13 December 2023. Federal Council Alain Berset and Federal Chancellor Walter Turnherr had both announced that they would not be seeking reelection. The other Federal Councillors were all reelected,
11193-420: The other six Councillors. The president is not the Swiss head of state; this function is carried out by the council in corpore , that is, in its entirety. However, in recent practice the president acts and is recognised as head of state while conducting official visits abroad, as the Council (also by convention) does not leave the country in corpore . More often, though, official visits abroad are carried out by
11316-597: The other way around: powerful members of the politburo would ensure their support in the central committee through patronage. In China, political power has been further centralised into the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party . Swiss Federal Railways Swiss Federal Railways (German: Schweizerische Bundesbahnen , SBB ; French: Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses , CFF ; Italian: Ferrovie federali svizzere , FFS )
11439-498: The overall direction of the government has usually been done as a matter of preference by the prime minister – either because they are unpopular with their backbenchers , or because they believe that the cabinet should collectively decide things. A shadow cabinet consists of the leading members, or frontbenchers , of an opposition party , who generally hold critic portfolios "shadowing" cabinet ministers, questioning their decisions and proposing policy alternatives. In some countries,
11562-520: The parties' respective strength in the Federal Assembly, the seats were distributed as follows: During that time, the FDP/PRD and CVP/PDC very slowly but steadily kept losing voter share to the SVP/UDC and SP/PS, respectively, which overtook the older parties in popularity during the 1990s. The governmental balance was changed after the 2003 elections, when the SVP/UDC was granted a council seat for their leader Christoph Blocher that had formerly belonged to
11685-417: The political parties and receive a substantial number of votes. The voting is conducted in several rounds, under a form of exhaustive ballot . After the election is concluded, the winner holds a short speech and accepts or refuses the office of Federal Councillor. The oath of office is then taken, even then the regular term of office only begins a few weeks later, on 1 January. Usually, the party which has
11808-459: The pre-recorded local language of the town. For stations of bilingual cities, the language of announcement changes at the time of stop: when trains travelling from the French-speaking region to the German-speaking region via the bilingual city of Biel/Bienne , announcements are made in French until arriving at Bienne, and then switch to German after departing from Biel. Upon arriving at big hubs,
11931-404: The preparation of proposed legislation in the ministries before it is passed to the parliament . Thus, often the majority of new legislation actually originates from the cabinet and its ministries. In most governments, members of the cabinet are given the title of "minister", and each holds a different portfolio of government duties ("Minister of Foreign Affairs", "Minister of Health", etc.). In
12054-489: The president as they can be replaced at any time. Normally, since they are appointed by the president, they are members of the same political party, but the executive is free to select anyone, including opposition party members, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate. Normally, the legislature or a segment thereof must confirm the appointment of a cabinet member; this is but one of the many checks and balances built into
12177-424: The records remain sealed for 50 years. This has lately been the subject of some criticism. In particular, the parties at the ends of the political spectrum argue that this secrecy is contrary to the principle of transparency . However, the council has always maintained that secrecy is necessary to arrive at consensus and to preserve the collegiality and political independence of the individual Councillors. Due to
12300-541: The reliability and quality of service of its conventional rail network, on both national and regional scales. In addition to passenger rail, SBB operates cargo and freight rail service, through its subsidiary SBB Cargo , and has large real estate holdings in Switzerland. The company is commonly referred to by the initials of its three official names (in German, French, Italian) – defined by federal law SR/RS 742.31 (SBBG/LCFF/LFFS) Art. 2 §1 – either as SBB CFF FFS , or used separately. The official English abbreviation
12423-769: The rise of new parties of lesser power at the ends of the political spectrum . These were the Social Democratic Party (SP) on the Left and the Party of Farmers, Traders and Independents (BGB; presently the People's Party , SVP) on the Right . In due course, the CVP received its second seat in 1919 with Jean-Marie Musy , while the BGB joined the council in 1929 with Rudolf Minger . In 1943, during World War II,
12546-449: The rules of collegiality , they will often have to publicly promote a council decision which does not match the political conviction of their party (or of themselves). Once elected for a four-year-term, Federal Councillors can neither be voted out of office by a motion of no confidence nor can they be impeached . Reelection is possible for an indefinite number of terms; it has historically been extremely rare for Parliament not to reelect
12669-469: The senior career officials of their department – the heads of the Federal Offices – to prepare a written response to offer criticism and suggestions. This is called the co-report procedure ( Mitberichtsverfahren / procédure de co-rapport ), designed to build a wide consensus ahead of a council meeting. To prepare for important decisions, an additional public consultation is sometimes conducted, to which
12792-411: The shadow ministers are referred to as spokespersons. The Westminster cabinet system is the foundation of cabinets as they are known at the federal and provincial (or state) jurisdictions of Australia , Canada , India , Pakistan , South Africa , and other Commonwealth countries whose parliamentary model is closely based on that of the United Kingdom. Under the doctrine of separation of powers in
12915-428: The situation where the cabinet is de facto appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the prime minister. Thus, the cabinet is often strongly subordinate to the prime minister as they can be replaced at any time, or can be moved ("demoted") to a different portfolio in a cabinet reshuffle for "underperforming". This position in relation to the executive power means that, in practice, any spreading of responsibility for
13038-585: The station or train is located in, and manual announcements play the three-language melody in the file above. SBB has the following services: Several services are currently operated by other railway companies , including subsidiaries of Swiss Federal Railways (e.g. Thurbo ). Some services are also jointly operated with other companies (e.g. Treno Gottardo ). SBB-CFF-FFS also operates international EuroCity (EC) and EuroNight (EN) trains while within Switzerland, while Deutsche Bahn operates Intercity Express (ICE) services to, from, and (a few services) within
13161-556: The streets, restaurants and tramways of Bern. Ueli Maurer was known to use the bicycle on most days from his apartment in Münsingen to the Federal Palace in Bern. Councillors are also entitled to a personal bailiff ( huissier or Bundesweibel ) who accompanies them, in a red and white ceremonial uniform, to official events. The spouses of Councillors do not play an official part in the business of government, apart from accompanying
13284-405: The support of multiple parties. Thus, a coalition government is formed. Continued cooperation between the participating political parties is necessary for the cabinet to retain the confidence of the parliament. For this, a government platform is negotiated, in order for the participating parties to toe the line and support their cabinet. However, this is not always successful: constituent parties of
13407-743: The system on 1 January 1902. This date is now observed as the "official" birthday of SBB. The following railway companies were nationalised: Other companies were included later, and the rail network was extended. It is still growing today. On 1 January 1999 the Swiss Federal Railway has been excluded from the Federal Administration and became a fully state-owned (the federal state owns 100% of all shares) limited company regulated by public law (German: Spezialgesetzliche Aktiengesellschaft ). First class compartments were discontinued on 3 June 1956, and second and third class accommodation
13530-538: The term "Attorney General" instead of "Justice Secretary", but the Attorney General is nonetheless a cabinet-level position. Following the federal government's model, state executive branches are also organised into executive departments headed by cabinet secretaries. The government of California calls these departments "agencies" or informally "superagencies", while the government of Kentucky styles them as "cabinets". Communist states can be ruled de facto by
13653-399: The timetable. Announcements in stations are usually made in local languages. However, in stations frequently used by foreigners (airports or tourism regions), in-station announcements are also made in English. On-board welcome announcements are made in all official languages of the regions served by that train, with the additional English ones onboard IC trains. Then the stops are announced in
13776-766: The train conductor takes the microphone to announce in all official languages of the regions served by that train (plus English onboard IC trains) that the train is arriving, if the train is on time or not, and next connections at the station. For instance, the main station in the German-speaking Zürich is signposted as Zürich HB (short for Zürich Hauptbahnhof) exclusively in German, while its French name (Zürich gare centrale), Italian name (Zurigo stazione centrale), and English name (Zürich Main Station) are used in websites and announcements in respective languages. Since 2002, SBB has used music in train announcements. The notes in
13899-668: The usual in intercity traffic. In 2011, Stadler's RABe 511 were introduced in Zürich's S-Bahn and in 2012 was introduced as a Regional Express between Geneva and Romont and Geneva and Vevey and Bern and Biel . Some of the most popular historic multiple unit trainsets are the Roten Pfeile ("Red Arrows") ( RAe 2/4 ) and the " Churchill-Pfeil " (RAe 4/8). In international traffic the Trans-Europ-Express (TEE) diesel trainsets appeared in 1957, but were replaced by four-systems electric trainsets RAe TEE in 1961. On 12 May 2010,
14022-540: The winter season, to provide a connection for tourists mainly visiting the south-eastern Swiss Alps. These connections are marketed under the name of TGV Lyria des Neiges . Since 2018, the SBB uses numbers and distinct colors for all its InterCity (IC) and InterRegio (IR) lines (like a subway network) to ease connections. The IC, IR and RE ( RegioExpress ) lines (including alternative routes) are as follows: The InterCity are mainline trains in Switzerland connecting
14145-528: Was changed to require an equitable distribution of seats among the cantons and language groups of the country, without setting concrete quotas. Since the rule against Federal Councillors being from the same canton was abolished, there have been a few examples of it happening. The first time was from 2003 to 2007, when both Moritz Leuenberger and Christoph Blocher from the canton of Zurich were in office. It happened again between 2010 and 2018, starting when Simonetta Sommaruga and Johann Schneider-Ammann from
14268-436: Was controversial and the Social Democrats each time considered withdrawing from the council altogether. There were two female councillors serving simultaneously for the first time in 1999, and three out of seven councillors were women from 2007 till 2010, when Simonetta Sommaruga was elected as the fourth woman in government in place of Moritz Leuenberger , putting men in minority for the first time in history. Also remarkable
14391-414: Was determined by their place of origin, but starting in 1987 this was changed to the canton from which they were elected (for former members of the Federal Assembly or cantonal legislative or executive bodies) or place of residence. Nothing prevented candidates from moving to politically expedient cantons; this was one of the motivators for abolishing the rule. At the 1999 Swiss referendums , the Constitution
14514-490: Was founded in 2002. This foundation takes care of historic rolling stock and runs a technical library in Bern, document and photographic archives, and the SBB poster collection. All figures from 2021: The Swiss Federal Railways rail network is totally electrified. The metre gauge Brünigbahn was SBB's only non-standard gauge line, until it was out-sourced and merged with the Luzern-Stans-Engelberg-Bahn to form
14637-399: Was less than three years. Councillors who leave their offices after less than four years may also receive a partial pension. After leaving office, "former federal councillors frequently pursue some other lucrative activity," but "their earnings, when added to the pension they receive as an ex-federal councillor, may not exceed the salary of a federal councillor in office, otherwise their pension
14760-471: Was nearly exclusively represented by diplomats. After the assassination of John F. Kennedy , the Federal Councillors convened an urgent meeting, where they discussed sending a Councillor to Kennedy's funeral. Given that the absence of the Swiss government would not be understood by the population, they decided to send Friedrich Traugott Wahlen . On his travel to the U.S. capital, Wahlen also met with Secretary of State Dean Rusk to discuss tariffs . Despite
14883-491: Was reclassified as first and second class, respectively. In 1982 SBB introduced the Taktfahrplan ( clock-face schedule ), with trains for certain destinations leaving every 60 minutes, greatly simplifying the timetable. On 12 December 2004 the first phase of Bahn2000, an ambitious programme to improve the company's services, was put into effect. The core element was the Zürich - Bern - Basel triangle, where travel times between
15006-441: Was replaced by French-speaking Elisabeth Baume-Schneider . Historically, at least two council seats have been held by French- or Italian-speakers. The language makeup of the council as of 2022 is four German-speakers, two French-speakers and one Italian-speaker. In November 2017, Ignazio Cassis became the first Italian speaker to serve on the council since 1999. For elections to the Federal Council , candidates are usually helped by
15129-456: Was ruled by a royal council. In Kievan Rus' , the prince was obliged to accept the advice and receive the approval of the duma , or council, which was composed of boyars , or nobility. An inner circle of a few members of the duma formed a cabinet to attend and advise the prince constantly. The ruins of Chichen Itza and Mayapan in the Maya civilisation suggest that political authority was held by
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