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Directorial system

Socio-political system with shared executive power

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Current directorial systems

Countries with directorial heads of state sharing ceremonial functions:

Countries governed by an executive directorial head of state:

Supranational and subnational entities governed by a directorial system:

Directorial republic in Switzerland

One country now using this form of government is Switzerland. In Switzerland, directories operate at all levels of administration: federal, cantonal and municipal. On the face of it, the Swiss Federal Council might appear to be a typical parliamentary government; technically, however, it is not a meeting of ministers, but a college of heads of state and simultaneously the federal cabinet. The current president of the confederation is in fact only a primus inter pares (first among equals) with representative functions in particular for diplomacy with other States, and without any power either of direction or of coordination of the activity of colleagues. The Swiss Federal Council is elected by the Federal Assembly for four years, and comprises seven members, among whom one serves as president and one as vice-president on a rotating basis, although these positions are symbolic in normal circumstances. Unlike in a parliamentary system, the Federal Council is not answerable before the Federal Assembly, but is elected for a roughly concurrent term of office. The link between the Swiss managerial system and the presidential system is even more evident for the cantonal governments, where currently all directors are all individually directly elected by the voters.

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