Federal Assembly

(German, Bundesversammlung), the supreme federal legislative body of Switzerland, the members of which are elected by popular vote for four-year terms. The Federal Assembly consists of two equal houses: the National Council, with 200 deputies, and the Council of States, with 44 deputies. The Federal Assembly elects the members of the Federal Council, the president and vice-president of Switzerland, the commander in chief of the army, and the president, judges, and supplementary judges of the Federal Supreme Court. It also supervises foreign affairs, approves of the budget, and has supreme authority over the judicial system.