What are the two «chambers» of the Swiss Parliament called?
Wie heissen die beiden «Kammern» des Schweizer Parlaments?
Correct answer: C
- A Upper House and Lower HouseOberhaus und Unterhaus
- B Senate and CongressSenat und Kongress
- C National Council and Council of StatesNationalrat und Ständerat
- D Parliamentary group and CommitteeFraktion und Kommission
Why
The Swiss Parliament consists of two equally strong chambers: the National Council for the people and the Council of States for the cantons.
Common mistakes
- B: Senate and Congress
- Senate and Congress are names from other countries, for example from the USA.
- A: Upper House and Lower House
- Upper House and Lower House are names from Great Britain.
- D: Parliamentary group and Committee
- Parliamentary groups and committees are groups within Parliament, not chambers.
Topic
National Council and Council of States
The Swiss Parliament is called the Federal Assembly. It has two chambers: the National Council and the Council of States. The National Council has 200 members. It represents the people. Large cantons have more seats than small ones. The Council of States has 46 members. It mainly represents the cantons. Each canton has two seats, the six former half-cantons one each. Together there are 246 members.
200
Nationalrat
National Council: the large chamber with 200 members. It represents the people.
46
Ständerat
Council of States: the small chamber with 46 members. It represents the cantons.
- Cantons: 2 seats each
- Former half-cantons: 1 seat each
200 + 46 = 246
Vereinigte Bundesversammlung
United Federal Assembly: the National Council and the Council of States in a joint session. Parliament makes laws. Together it elects the Federal Council and the Federal Supreme Court.
How the state works
The Federal Parliament
Sources
Last checked: September 2026
Question 20 of the official question list of the Canton of Zurich (Gemeindeamt, May 2025). Translation and explanation: Swiss Passport.