<P> The preamble and the first title of the Constitution determine the general outlines of Switzerland as a democratic federal republic of 26 cantons governed by the rule of law . </P> <P> The preamble opens with a solemn invocation of God in continuance of Swiss constitutional tradition . It is a mandate to the State authorities by the Swiss people and cantons, as the Confederation's constituent powers, to adhere to the values listed in the preamble, which include "liberty and democracy, independence and peace in solidarity and openness towards the world". The latter provision about the "openness" present a drastic contrast with the previous Swiss constitutions which were mostly oriented toward the internal isolationism . The new preamble also provides a provision about responsibility before and the rights of the future generations of the people of Switzerland . </P> <P> The general provisions contained in Title 1 (articles 1--6) define the characteristic traits of the Swiss state on all of its three levels of authority: federal, cantonal and municipal . They contain an enumeration of the constituent cantons, affirm cantonal sovereignty within the bounds of the Constitution and list the national languages--German, French, Italian and Romansh . They also commit the state to the principles of obedience to law, proportionality, good faith and respect for international law, an explicit claim for subsidiarity, before closing with a reference to individual responsibility . </P> <P> Title 2 contains the Constitution's bill of rights and consists of 35 articles . The 1874 constitution contained only a limited number of fundamental rights, and some of them grew less significant as the 20th century wore on, such as the right to a decent burial guaranteed in article 53 of the old constitution . In consequence, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court's extensive case law developed an array of implicit or "unwritten" fundamental rights, drawing upon the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and applying the fundamental rights guaranteed in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which Switzerland ratified in 1974 . </P>

How many citizens are required to propose amendment in the swiss constitution