GENEVA — Until recently, most Swiss could barely name their president.

In most countries, that would constitute embarrassing evidence of political ignorance. In Switzerland, it reflects the unique political system of an Alpine country that has long transcended linguistic and regional divides, functioning as smoothly as the proverbial watch.

Built around power sharing, neutrality and direct democracy, Swiss politics is so inherently low-key that the job of president rotates annually between ministers, who form a coalition government always structured to include all the leading political parties.

Over the past year or so, however, Switzerland has undergone several shocks to its system: financial troubles at UBS, and resultant inroads on the hallowed bank secrecy that has long helped Switzerland prosper; tussles over tax evasion with the country’s biggest neighbors; the arrest of the film director Roman Polanski; and the November popular vote — widely condemned outside Switzerland — to ban building minarets, to name just a few.

Under pressure from institutions as varied as the German Finance Ministry, Los Angeles prosecutors and Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi of Libya, Swiss politicians have increasingly entered the unfamiliar limelight, showing rare signs of discord and uncertainty.