Preamble and Title 1 of the Swiss Federal Constitution

[2] Apart from continuing tradition, the invocatio dei is understood to be a reference to transcendental values underlying society, putting into perspective any claims to authority by the State – a merely human creation.

[4] It is a symbolic summation of the will to and purpose of statehood,[5] a declaration of intent by the popular Sovereign,[6] an integrating avowal of the Swiss people's fundamental values,[7] and a binding mandate to the State's authorities.

[9] The general provisions (articles 1–6) define the characteristic traits of the Swiss state on all of its three levels of authority: federal, cantonal and municipal.

[11] Article 1 constitutes the federal state, the Confederation, as consisting of the people and the 26 coëqual cantons listed in their traditional order of precedence.

[16] Article 4 declares German, French, Italian and Romansh to be the "national languages", highlighting the prominence of Swiss multilingualism as an integral part of the country's self-conception.