Is the Switzerland desk live on Nation Runner?

Yes. It draws the National Council member directory of 4 August 2026, the 2023 party-strength table, and the Federal Council members named on official pages. It is an editorial dashboard, not an official record.

Which culture figures does the Switzerland desk show?

Gallup’s Migrant Acceptance Index for Switzerland in 2016 (7.21 out of 9) and the Migrant Integration Policy Index score of 50, with 2019 printed beside that score. No Pew row for Switzerland is on the perceptions page, so none is added here.

Does the money tab score Swiss political financing?

No. Zeros mean the access scale is not filled. A zero is not a finding that a party has no donors.

Country desk · updated 12 Nov

Switzerland

200 members on the directory, and the four Federal Council factions hold 166.

Key takeaways

1
Parliament. Swiss People's Party faction holds the most seats: 67 of 200 (34%). A majority needs 101.
2
Headlines. The tone is steady: 18% of the last 14 days' headlines read grim, 7% upbeat. Top topic: Politics (25%).
3
Government. Government barometer 57/100 (Builder). 0 of 2 moves on file read as smart, 0 as harmful.
4
Next vote. Swiss federal vote on 29 November 2026, in 16 days.

Headline mood · 14 days

Line: mood · bars: stories

12 Nov · 4 stories · upbeat1 upbeat · 3 neutral · 0 grim

What the headlines are about

Other 30%
Politics 25%
Society 18%
Economy 13%
Security 9%
Climate 5%

A simple word-list estimate from the daily wire headlines. Not a judgement.

Who holds the seats · National Council

200 seats · 101 for a majority (line)

Swiss People's Party faction

67 seats · 33.5%

67 on the National Council directory of 4 August 2026. The directory of 4 August 2026 lists 67 National Council members in faction V. The Federal Statistical Office table for 2023 prints the Swiss People's Party at 27.9 percent. That percentage is the party list, not a sum of every list seated in the faction.

Map · mood compared

Switzerland

Overall mood: 18% grim, 7% upbeat · today +25

What changed today

12 Nov

12 Nov: 4 stories (average 4); tone more upbeat than usual.

New headlines

Advocates Push for Fair Pathogen Sharing in WHO Talks
Health advocates are raising their voices in Geneva, insisting developing countries get real access to vaccines from the pathogen data they share freely.
UnverifiedTrending on X · 11 Nov
Kenya Permanently Closes Embassy in Bern, Switzerland
Around 10,000 Kenyans in Switzerland now face a big change, as their local embassy shuts down for good by month's end.
UnverifiedTrending on X · 10 Nov
Republican blame game, alleged Nvidia honeytrap, and a NASA job offer
Welcome to our press review of events in the United States. Every Wednesday we look at how the Swiss media have reported and reacted to three major stories in the US – in politics, finance and science. Today is Veterans Day in the United States and Remembrance Day (Poppy Day) in Britain. To date, 21 American soldiers have reportedly died in Iran since the United States and Israel began strikes on…
swissinfo · 11 Nov
Low water levels in Zurich show little sign of recovery
Although the scorching summer of 2026 seems a long way off, water levels in Zurich’s waterways have hardly recovered so far. A few days of rain are not enough to bring them back up. The water level of Lake Zurich currently stands at 405.4 metres above sea level, as shown on the canton’s latest water level map. Whilst this is nine centimetres higher than it was a week ago, the median for the past…
swissinfo · 11 Nov

Earlier this week: 10 more headlines

Halloween Riots Erupt in Zurich Over Cost-of-Living Protests
On Halloween night in Zurich's vibrant District 4, crowds in masks built blazing barricades from dumpsters and e-bikes, hurling fireworks at police amid shattered shop windows.
X · 2 Nov
Switzerland Leads Global Debt-Per-Person Ranking at $342,000
Switzerland surprised many by topping a list of debt per resident at $342,000 each, blending government, household, and corporate borrowing.
X · 2 Nov
Vacherot Rallies to Claim Second ATP Title at Swiss Indoors Basel
Trailing early in the Basel final, Valentin Vacherot dug deep, flipping the match to lift the trophy as the first Monegasque ATP 500 champion.
X · 2 Nov
Lawyer urges probe into Crans-Montana finances
Amid uncertainty over the potential civil liability linked to the Constellation fire, a lawyer representing several victims has called for the Crans-Montana government to be placed under partial administration and for its finances to be investigated. "We based our analysis on the public accounts, and the conclusion is clear: the municipality does not have the means to meet any liability it may in…
swissinfo · 2 Nov
Ticino opens bridge lost in deadly storm
Authorities have opened a new bridge in Visletto, in Ticino’s Maggia Valley, nearly two years after a devastating storm swept away the original structure, restoring a permanent road link to the upper valley. The bridge is due to open to motor traffic from 4:30 pm on October 31, canton Ticino's department of spatial planning said. Its opening marks “a decisive step towards the permanent restoratio…
swissinfo · 2 Nov
Halloween Clashes Erupt in Zurich as Protesters Set Barricades Ablaze
On Halloween night in Zurich's vibrant nightlife district, masked crowds lit fireworks and flares, then built barricades from dumpsters and bikes before setting them on fire.
X · 3 Nov
Switzerland Tops Global Debt-Per-Person Ranking at $342,000
Switzerland surprises with the world's highest debt load per resident—$342,000 across government, households, and companies. Yet behind those numbers lie high wealth and smart financial choices.
X · 3 Nov
Spanish pharma group to set up in canton Neuchâtel
STE Pharmaceuticals, based in Barcelona, is planning to build a 15,000 m² facility in Couvet in the canton of Neuchâtel by 2032. This will include a production site and a research and development department. "It is quite clear that the aim of expanding the site is to create skilled jobs," Stefano Ponta, director of STE Swiss Pharma told local news agency RTN on Monday. He believes it is currently…
swissinfo · 3 Nov
Teen arrested following cyberattack on Swiss schools
A 16-year-old is alleged to have gained unauthorised access to an IT platform containing data on around 38,000 pupils and 3,500 teachers in the Swiss canton of Vaud. The police arrested the teenager on Saturday. It was initially unclear whether he had stolen any data or passed it on to third parties. The cantonal education authority discovered the attack on October 26 and immediately had the plat…
swissinfo · 4 Nov
Nearly 2.7 million Swiss will receive a 13th pension in December
In December the Swiss old-age compensation funds will pay out CHF9.28 billion ($11.25 billion) to pensioners. This is because, for the first time, pensioners will receive a 13th month’s payment in addition to their usual December pension. These figures were announced to the media on Tuesday in Bern by representatives of the Federal Social Insurance Office and the 74 old-age pension compensation f…
swissinfo · 4 Nov

Headlines and summaries come from the linked sources; the selection is automatic.

Go deeper

Parties, people, promises, money

Directory 4 Aug 2026 · votes 2023

200 members on the directory, and the four Federal Council factions hold 166.

The seat map is the National Council member directory dated 4 August 2026. It lists 200 members. Faction V has 67, the Social Democratic faction has 41, the Centre faction has 31, the Free Democratic faction has 27, the Green faction has 23, and the Green Liberal faction has 11. Those six rows sum to 200. A majority of 200 is 101. No faction has 101 seats on its own. The seven Federal Council pages name the Swiss People's Party, the Social Democrats, the Free Democrats, and the Centre. Those four factions hold 166 seats together. That sum is a headcount, not a pact that binds their votes in the chamber. Vote shares are the Federal Statistical Office party-strength table for 2023, not a figure printed on the member directory.

A score on this desk is an editorial average of six work topics, times ten, with the method written on the row.

The room

National Council

200 members on the directory · 101 to govern alone · four factions 166

The deal

Four factions in the Federal Council, none alone a majority

101 seats would be a majority of 200. Faction V, the Social Democrats, the Centre, and the Free Democrats have 67, 41, 31, and 27 on the August directory. That sum is 166. The Federal Council is a college of seven. These four factions do not vote as one bloc, and no single faction has 101 seats.

The mood

Election vs now

The left bar is the 2023 party strength in the Federal Statistical Office table. The right bar is faction seats on the August directory divided by 200. They are different counts.

SVP
30.4%
SP
18.8%
Centre
13.6%
FDP
13.3%
Greens
10.3%
GLP
6.1%

The first point is the 2023 total column on the Federal Statistical Office party-strength page, as that page prints it to one decimal place. The second point is the Sotomo survey whose fieldwork ran from 28 October to 11 November 2024, 4,467 respondents, as Swissinfo reported on 2 December 2024. The third point is the Sotomo survey for SRG whose fieldwork ran to 11 September 2025. Swissinfo prints the Swiss People's Party at 30.4, the Free Democrats at 13.3, the Centre at 13.6, and the Green Liberals at 6.1. SRF prints the Social Democrats at 18.8. Nau prints the Greens at 10.3. A sample is not the same question as votes cast. A faction bar uses the named party's figure and does not add the smaller lists seated with it.

The trend

From election night to now

Public pollster blend — not a forecast

The split

Seat share beside the 2023 vote

The right bar is seats divided by 200. The left bar is the party strength. The later directory and the 2023 table are different counts.

The mismatch

Seats they hold vs the poll

The seat bar is the August headcount, divided by 200. The other bar is the Sotomo reading for SRG published in October 2025. The bar is the named party's figure.

The rude gauge

Growth king or a fight with work

Who grows the pie, who picks a fight with work. Cabinet sits at 57 / 100. The number is an editorial reading, not an official index. Six topics are averaged and multiplied by ten: energy supply, hiring, keeping and investing money, building, hours in paid work, and paperwork. Ten means the public record makes that easier for work. Zero means it makes it harder. A row is not left in the middle on every topic. The band is a label for that average, not a court ruling.

Against the workBuilderGrowth king

Full causal chains live on every promise

This week

The pulse

Council2026-08-04

National Council factions

Faction V 67, Social Democrats 41, Centre 31, Free Democrats 27. Together those four factions have 166 of 200.

Office2026-09-27

Offices

Guy Parmelin is president for 2026. Ignazio Cassis is vice president. Greta Gysin presides over the Green faction.

Politics 101

How this country actually works

What this chamber drawing is

200 members. 101 to govern alone. The four Federal Council factions have 166.

Counts are member rows in the National Council directory of 4 August 2026. The six factions sum to 200. 101 is a majority of 200. Vote shares are the Federal Statistical Office party-strength table for 2023. A faction can seat more than one list, so the percentage is the named party's share, not a combined faction share.

Who holds the offices this desk names

Parmelin, president. Cassis, vice president. Gysin, Green faction.

The presidency page names Guy Parmelin and Ignazio Cassis. The seven member pages print a party beside each name. The National Council page names Pierre-André Page. The directory names Greta Gysin as president of faction G.

Elections

What is on the calendar

National elections and the major votes on these desks, for about the next 24 months. The date comes from the election authority. A poll appears only when a named pollster published it in the last 60 days.

Swiss federal vote

Date set

29 Nov 2026

16 days

The Federal Council set the popular vote for 29 November 2026.

Date source: Bundesblatt / Federal Council

Swiss federal elections

Date set

24 Oct 2027

345 days

CH Info, the federal information portal, lists the next National Council election, and in most cantons the Council of States, for 24 October 2027.

Date source: CH Info

How foreigners are seen

Openness in Switzerland

Published surveys only. Each figure shows its source and year.

Who's welcomed

Share of adults in Switzerland with a favourable opinion of each country Pew asked about. A view of a country, not of its people.

How would my country be seen here?

UnknownNo country view on file

Pew's 2025 Global Attitudes survey did not poll in Switzerland, and no other survey of views of other countries is on this desk yet. Nothing is guessed. The other measures here, and the comparison below, still work.

Welcoming index

Derived from the two published measures below, not a survey result. Each input keeps its own year.

65.1/100

Mean of Gallup 7.21 of 9 (2016), rescaled to 80.1, and MIPEX 50 of 100 (2019).

The measures behind it (shown separately)

7.21/9People: acceptance of migrants
Gallup, 2016

50/100Law: integration policy
MIPEX, 2019

What expats say

InterNations Expat Insider 2025: rank out of 46 destinations, 1 is best.

Ease of settling in39 of 46
Culture and welcome39 of 46
Local friendliness36 of 46
Finding friends41 of 46

InterNations, Expat Insider 2025

All desks side by side

Pick a measure. Countries without a published figure show Unknown and sit at the end; they are not counted in the average.

Average of the 20 of 22 desks with a figure: 63.3 of 100. Unknown left out: Georgia, Thailand.

In plain words

Expats ranked Switzerland 39 of 46 for ease of settling in (2025); its best sub-score was local friendliness at 36.
No published survey here asks people about other countries, so who's welcomed is unknown for this country.

Sources and method are listed under “How we source this” at the bottom of the page.

What it means for you

Only figures with a source and a date. Each source is listed under “How we source this” at the bottom of the page. Anything not listed here is not on file.

Taxes
The federal tax administration page on current value-added-tax rates says the standard rate is 8.1 percent. Value-added tax is the tax on most goods and services. The same page says the reduced rate is 2.6 percent and the special rate for lodging is 3.8 percent, in force since 1 January 2024.
Income
The 2026 tariff table for the direct federal tax on the income of natural persons says the annual tax on higher taxable incomes is a flat 11.5 percent. The direct federal tax is the Confederation’s tax on a person’s income. Cantonal taxes sit on top of it and are not this figure.
Benefits
The social-insurance amounts sheet valid from 1 January 2026 says the minimum old-age pension is 1,260 francs a month. That pension is the basic public retirement payment after a full contribution record. The same sheet says the maximum old-age pension is 2,520 francs a month.

Sources, licences and image credits

Data

Wire (public RSS feeds): X, swissinfo.
The left bar is the 2023 party strength in the Federal Statistical Office table. The right bar is faction seats on the August directory divided by 200. They are different counts.
Editorial economic-competence gauge, not a court and not a Nobel. Six axes: energy, hiring, capital, building, hours in work, red tape. Scores are a judgement from public records of this term and the last — not a bribery charge, not a voting recommendation.

Survey sources

Switzerland — Gallup Migrant Acceptance Index 2016: Gallup. Neli Esipova, John Fleming and Julie Ray, “New Index Shows Least-, Most-Accepting Countries for Migrants”, Gallup, 23 August 2017. The full-country table lists Switzerland at 7.21. The survey-methods note says the index was asked in 138 countries in 2016, so the year used here is 2016. Source. Gallup allows a contextual citation when the publication date and a link are given. The table and graphics are not reproduced.
Switzerland — MIPEX overall score 2019: MIPEX. Migrant Integration Policy Index, Switzerland country page. The 2019 block prints “MIPEX Score (with Health): 50.” The same page says Switzerland scores 50 on the 100-point scale. Source. The overall score is cited from the country page. The report is not reproduced.

Image credits

Swiss People's Party faction mark — Nation Runner · Original geometric mark. Not an official party logo. Public domain. Source
Social Democratic faction mark — Nation Runner · Original geometric mark. Not an official party logo. Public domain. Source
Centre faction mark — Nation Runner · Original geometric mark. Not an official party logo. Public domain. Source
FDP faction mark — Nation Runner · Original geometric mark. Not an official party logo. Public domain. Source
Green faction mark — Nation Runner · Original geometric mark. Not an official party logo. Public domain. Source
Green Liberal faction mark — Nation Runner · Original geometric mark. Not an official party logo. Public domain. Source
Flag of Switzerland — Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Source

Questions the desk actually answers

FAQ

Questions the desk actually answers

Is the Switzerland desk live on Nation Runner?: Yes. It draws the National Council member directory of 4 August 2026, the 2023 party-strength table, and the Federal Council members named on official pages. It is an editorial dashboard, not an official record.
Which culture figures does the Switzerland desk show?: Gallup’s Migrant Acceptance Index for Switzerland in 2016 (7.21 out of 9) and the Migrant Integration Policy Index score of 50, with 2019 printed beside that score. No Pew row for Switzerland is on the perceptions page, so none is added here.
Does the money tab score Swiss political financing?: No. Zeros mean the access scale is not filled. A zero is not a finding that a party has no donors.

How we source this

Seats: National Council directory, 4 August 2026. Votes: Federal Statistical Office party strengths, 2023. Ballot support: Sotomo, fieldwork 28 October to 11 November 2024, and Sotomo for SRG, fieldwork to 11 September 2025. Offices: the Federal Council pages, the presidency page, the National Council page, and the member directory. Culture: Gallup 2016 and the Migrant Integration Policy Index block headed 2019.

How foreigners are seen

Pew asks adults for their opinion of a country. That is a view of the country, not of its people or of any visitor. We never estimate a pair that was not asked; it shows as unknown.

InterNations ranks come from expats living in the country (46 destinations in 2025). Gallup's Migrant Acceptance Index runs from 0 to 9. MIPEX scores integration law and policy from 0 to 100.

Welcoming index: the mean of the Gallup index rescaled to 0–100 (score ÷ 9 × 100) and the MIPEX overall score, rounded to one decimal. It is derived, not a survey result, and the two inputs come from different years. If either input is missing the index is unknown: it is not estimated, it sorts last and it is left out of the average.

What it means for you

Federal Tax Administration, current value-added-tax rates, data as of 2024-01-01
Federal Tax Administration, form 58c tariff table for 2026, data as of 2026-01-01
Federal Social Insurance Office, amounts valid from 1 January 2026, data as of 2026-01-01