Switzerland celebrates the 175th anniversary of its constitution at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA! On September 12, 1848, the old Swiss Confederacy became a federal state and the first republic in Europe. In drafting the constitution, Switzerland was influenced by ideas from the United States. But Switzerland also played an important role in the establishment of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, and the U.S. also drew inspiration from the direct-democratic developments in the Swiss constitution in the following century.

To mark this anniversary, the Consulate General of Switzerland in New York and the Swiss Consulate in Philadelphia organized a panel discussion with experts on the U.S. and Swiss constitutions at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on September 8, 2023. The event highlighted the strong historical ties between the “sister republics” of the U.S. and Switzerland, particularly in the drafting of their respective constitutions, and their developments to the present day.

As panelists we welcomed Dr. Brendan O’Leary, Lauder Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Tina Kempin Reuter, Professor of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Mr. Fabian Fellmann, U.S. political correspondent for Tamedia. The panel discussion was moderated by Lauren Swartz, CEO & President of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia.