Voting procedure on election day
On election day, parliament meets at 8:00am as an election committee. The session is headed by the president of the House of Representatives.
A candidate rarely reaches an absolute majority on the first ballot.
Voting is by secret ballot.
Theoretically all Swiss citizens are entitled to be candidates for the first two ballots.
From the third ballot onwards, no new candidates are permitted. Only those candidates who have already received votes in the first two ballots stand a chance of being elected.
With every further ballot, the person with the least number of votes is eliminated from the race.
The winner must receive an absolute majority (half of the votes, plus one).
When a candidate has been elected, he or she is immediately sworn in by parliament.
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