Ständerat

Ständerat, or Council of States, is the upper house of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland. It represents the cantons and consists of 46 members: two from each of the 20 full cantons and one from each of the six half-cantons. Members are elected for four-year terms; the method of election varies by canton, with some using popular vote and others through cantonal legislatures.

As the counterpart to the National Council (Nationalrat), the Ständerat shares equal legislative power with it. No federal law may be enacted without the consent of both chambers. The council also participates in elections of the Federal Council and in approving federal budgets and international treaties. The Ständerat is generally regarded as more cantonal in outlook and less dominated by national party blocs than the National Council, providing a counterweight to the more populous chamber.

Sessions take place in Bern in the Federal Palace. The presidency of the Ständerat is held for one year and rotates among its members, typically following a cantonal rotation. The council operates through several standing committees, for example on legal affairs, finance, social security, foreign affairs, and cantonal policy, which prepare proposals for the plenary.

Historically established with the founding of the federal state in 1848, the Ständerat has represented cantonal interests in Swiss legislation from the outset. It remains the upper chamber alongside the National Council, forming the bicameral Federal Assembly.