Title 2 of the Swiss Federal Constitution

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Swiss Federal Constitution
Text of the Constitution
Preamble and Title 1 General Provisions Title 2 Fundamental Rights, Citizenship and Social Goals Title 3 Confederation, Cantons and Communes Title 4 The People and The Cantons Title 5 Federal Authorities Title 6 Revision of the Federal Constitution and Transitional Provisions
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Title 2 of the Swiss Federal Constitution of 18 April 1999, entitled "Fundamental Rights, Civil Rights and Social Goals", contains a comprehensive and directly enforceable bill of rights, as well as a set of social goals which the state authorities are to pay heed to. A few rights, notably political ones, are explicitly reserved to Swiss citizens, while all others apply to all persons in Switzerland, including (insofar as possible) legal entities such as corporations.

While the 1874 constitution enumerated only a few civil rights, the 1999 constitution explicitly codifies the fundamental rights recognised in the case law of the Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights. It also incorporates the fundamental rights guaranteed in the European Convention on Human Rights, which Switzerland has ratified.