Federal constitution
The federal constitution of the Swiss confederation is the fundamental law of the country. It governs important basic and human rights, the rights of the confederation, cantons and communes, political rights and duties as well as the responsibilities and competencies of the federal authorities, parliament and government.
The current constitution, which dates back to 1999, is based on the first Swiss constitution of 1848, which was written at the time of the founding of the federal state and completely revised for the first time in 1874.
The last total revision of the federal constitution was approved by the electorate and cantons on April 18, 1999 and has been in force since January 1, 2000.
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