Switzerland · Legislation
Legislation and primary sources
Where to find the authoritative text of the law in Switzerland, and how to confirm it is still in force.
Sources of law, ranked
- Federal Constitution
- Amendable only by a double majority of people and cantons.
- Federal statutes
- Subject to the optional referendum; the court must apply them regardless of constitutionality.
- Federal ordinances
- Implementing norms of the Federal Council; fully reviewable by the courts.
- Cantonal constitutions and law
- Govern all residual matters, including court organisation, policing and schools.
- Codes
- ZGB, Code of Obligations, StGB, and the unified civil and criminal procedure codes of 2011.
- International treaties
- Bilateral agreements with the EU carry great practical weight; Switzerland is not an EU member.
The legislative process
A draft goes through a formal consultation procedure (Vernehmlassung) with cantons and interest groups, then must be adopted in identical terms by both chambers, with a conciliation procedure to resolve differences. It then faces a hundred-day window in which 50,000 citizens can demand an optional referendum; only after that period, or a favourable vote, does it enter into force.
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