Editing Politics of Switzerland (section)

==Political conditions==
[[File:Swiss party politics 1985-2010 e.png|thumb|upright=2|Political positions of the [[List of political parties in Switzerland|Swiss political parties]] based on their referendum voting recommendations, 1985-90 and 2010-14]]
Switzerland has a stable government, with democratic power sharing through [[consociationalism]]. Most voters support the government in its philosophy of armed neutrality underlying its foreign and defense policies. Domestic policy poses some major problems, to the point that many observers deem that the system is in crisis{{sfn|Cormon|2014|p=55-61}} but the changing international environment has generated a significant reexamination of Swiss policy in key areas such as defense, neutrality, and immigration. Quadrennial national elections typically produce only marginal changes in party representation.

In recent years, Switzerland has seen a gradual shift in the party landscape. The [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] [[Swiss People's Party]] (SVP), traditionally the junior partner in the four-party [[coalition government]], more than doubled its voting share from 11.0% in 1987 to 22.5% in 1999, rising to 28.9% in 2007, thus overtaking its three coalition partners. This shift in voting shares put a strain on the "[[Magic formula (Swiss politics)|magic formula]]", the power-broking agreement of the four coalition parties. From 1959 until 2004, the seven-seat cabinet had comprised 2 Free Democrats, 2 Christian Democrats, 2 Social Democrats, and 1 Swiss People's Party, but in 2004, the Swiss People's Party took one seat from the Christian Democrats. In 2008 the [[Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland|Conservative Democratic Party]] split from the SVP, taking both of their Federal Council seats with them. However, the SVP eventually retook both seats, in 2009 and 2015 respectively.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Mombelli | first1=Armando | title=People's Party Gains Second Seat in Cabinet | url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/cabinet-elections_how-will-new-ingredients-change--magic-formula--/41825058 | date=10 December 2015 | website=[[Swissinfo]] | access-date=5 April 2016}}</ref>

The [[Swiss Federal Constitution]] limits federal influence in the formulation of [[domestic policy]] and emphasizes the roles of [[private enterprise]] and [[Cantons of Switzerland|cantonal government]]. However, in more recent times the powers of the Confederation have increased with regard to [[education]], [[agriculture]], [[health]], [[energy]], the [[environment (biophysical)|environment]], [[organized crime]], and [[narcotics]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Swiss Constitution|url=https://www.parlament.ch/en/%C3%BCber-das-parlament/how-does-the-swiss-parliament-work/Rules-governing-parliamentary-procedures/federal-constitution|access-date=2021-06-26|website=www.parlament.ch}}</ref>

{{Democracy Index rating|Switzerland|full democracy|2022}} According to [[Freedom House]], an American [[NGO]], Switzerland is among the freest countries in the world, with a 2020 score of 39/40 on [[political rights]] and 57/60 on [[civil liberties]] (for a combined score of 96/100).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Freedom in the World 2020: Switzerland|url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/switzerland/freedom-world/2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201219110749/https://freedomhouse.org/country/switzerland/freedom-world/2020|archive-date=19 December 2020|access-date=9 February 2021|website=[[Freedom House]]}}</ref> Switzerland has a high level of [[freedom of the press|press freedom]], ranking 8th internationally (out of 180 countries) in the 2020 [[Press Freedom Index]] published by [[Reporters Without Borders]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=2020 World Press Freedom Index: Switzerland|url=https://rsf.org/en/switzerland|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129011020/https://rsf.org/en/switzerland|archive-date=29 January 2021|access-date=9 February 2021|website=[[Reporters Without Borders]]}}</ref> Additionally, Switzerland is perceived to be among the least [[political corruption|politically corrupt]] nations in the world, ranking 3rd internationally (tied with [[Sweden]] and [[Singapore]]) in the 2020 [[Corruption Perceptions Index]] published by [[Transparency International]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Corruption Perceptions Index|url=https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2020/index/nzl|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208030807/https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2020/index/nzl|archive-date=8 February 2021|access-date=9 February 2021|website=[[Transparency International]]|date=28 January 2021 }}</ref>

=== Protesting in Switzerland ===
While there is not an explicit ban on protesting in Switzerland, the country has been criticized by groups such as Amnesty International for the obligation to gain official approval to protest and shoulder potential costs in some cantons. The 2024 Amnesty International annual report<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-23 |title=The State of the World's Human Rights: April 2024 |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol10/7200/2024/en/ |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=Amnesty International |language=en}}</ref> found that peaceful protesters faced disproportionate restrictions by police and cantonal authorities. Amnesty International claim that the right to protest enables individuals to express universally recognized human rights such as freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, the right to life, and more. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Protest is an invaluable way to speak truth to power. |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/freedom-of-expression/protest/#:~:text=As%20well%20as%20the%20rights,other%20ill-treatment%20or%20punishment. |access-date=2025-02-06 |website=Amnesty International |language=en}}</ref>