The Federal Assembly is made up of two chambers, the National Council representing the people, and the Council of States, representing the cantons. The make-up of the Assembly reflects the desire to balance the interests of the cantons, to ensure that smaller ones are not dominated by larger ones. The 200 seats in the National Council are distributed between the cantons in proportion to the size of their population, while the Council of States has two members for each canton, and one for each half canton, making a total of 46. However, the two chambers are of equal weight.
The role of the two chambers include approving every federal law and supervising the government. Any member can also propose a new law or decree. He or she can also put questions to the Federal Council about any matter concerning state affairs.
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