Which of the following is true of the government of Switzerland? Explain why.
A. Nominal Federation with a figurehead leader
B. Unitary Government with a single unified culture
C. Federal Government with a head of state who rules as a dictator
D. Federal Government with no individual head of state.
D. Federal Government with no individual head of state.
The correct answer is D. Switzerland is a federal government with no individual head of state.
Switzerland is a unique case as it does not have a single individual serving as the head of state. Instead, the country operates under a collective head of state known as the Federal Council, which consists of seven members (known as Federal Councillors). The Federal Council is responsible for making decisions collectively and is elected by the Federal Assembly, which is composed of members from both the National Council and the Council of States.
The Federal Council operates under a system of consensus and power sharing, with each Federal Councillor having equal voting rights. The position of the President of the Federal Council is largely ceremonial and rotates annually among the members.
Therefore, option D is the correct answer as Switzerland does not have an individual head of state but rather operates under a federal collective leadership.