The Swiss Federal Council (in German: Bundesrat, in French: Conseil fédéral, in Italian: Consiglio federale) is the seven-member executive council which collectively assumes the office of head of state equivalent to that of a president or of a monarch in the government of Switzerland.
The members of the Swiss Federal Council (as of January 2004)
Each of the seven Federal Councillors heads a department. Following the elections of 10 December 2003, they are:
One of the seven is elected to be president of the Federal Council (President of the Confederation) for a term of one year: he or she has no power above and beyond the other six, but assumes special representative functions.
