2003 Swiss federal election

Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 19 October 2003.[1] Although in Switzerland's political system, in which all four major parties form a coalition, it is very difficult to achieve a change of government, this election produced an upset with the strong showing of the right-wing, anti-European Union and anti-immigration Swiss People's Party. The left-wing parties, the Social Democrats and the Greens, also improved their positions. The losers were the parties of the centre and centre-right, the Christian Democratic People's Party and the Free Democratic Party.

2003 Swiss federal election
Switzerland
← 1999 19 October 2003 2007 →
Turnout45.23% Increase 1.93pp
National Council

All 200 seats in the National Council
101 seats needed for a majority
Party Leader Vote % Seats +/–
Swiss People's Ueli Maurer 26.68 55 +11
Social Democrats Christiane Brunner 23.33 52 +1
Free Democrats Christiane Langenberger 17.34 36 −7
Christian Democrats Philipp Stähelin 14.35 28 −7
Greens Ruth Genner 7.43 13 +5
Evangelical People's Ruedi Aeschbacher 2.28 3 0
Liberals Claude Ruey 2.18 4 −2
Federal Democrats Hans Moser 1.26 2 +1
Swiss Democrats Rudolf Keller 0.96 1 0
Labour 0.69 2 0
Feminist & Greens 0.53 1 0
solidaritéS 0.50 1 0
Christian Social 0.36 1 0
Ticino League Giuliano Bignasca 0.35 1 −1
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Council of States

All 46 seats in the Council of States
24 seats needed for a majority
Party Seats +/–
Christian Democrats

15 0
Free Democrats

14 −3
Social Democrats

9 +3
Swiss People's

8 +1
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Results by canton

In the aftermath of the elections Ruth Metzler-Arnold, one of the two Christian Democrats in the Federal Council was replaced by Christoph Blocher, the most influential politician in the Swiss People's Party.

Electoral system

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Switzerland has a bicameral legislature, the Federal Assembly (Assemblée Fédérale / Bundesversammlung / Asamblea Federale / Assemblea Federala).

  • The National Council (Conseil National / Nationalrat / Consiglio Nazionale / Cussegl Naziunal) has 200 members, elected for four-year terms by proportional representation in multi-member constituencies corresponding to the 26 Swiss cantons and half-cantons.
  • The Council of States (Conseil des Etats / Ständerat / Consiglio degli Stati / Cussegl dals Stadis) has 46 members elected for four-year terms from multi-member and single-member constituencies.

These elections were to the National Council and for most of the members of the Council of States.

All parties in Switzerland have different names in French, German and Italian, and conduct separate campaigns in the different language areas.

Results

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National Council

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PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Swiss People's Party560,75026.6855+11
Social Democratic Party490,38523.3352+1
Free Democratic Party364,49317.3436–7
Christian Democratic People's Party301,65214.3528–7
Green Party156,2267.4313+5
Evangelical People's Party47,8382.2830
Liberal Party45,8642.184–2
Federal Democratic Union26,5901.262+1
Swiss Democrats20,1770.9610
Swiss Party of Labour14,5950.6920
Feminist and Green Alternative Groups11,1530.5310
Solidarity10,5620.5010
Christian Social Party7,5390.3610
Ticino League7,3040.351–1
Freedom Party4,0000.1900
Other parties32,9131.570
Total2,102,041100.002000
Valid votes2,102,04197.23
Invalid/blank votes59,8802.77
Total votes2,161,921100.00
Registered voters/turnout4,779,73345.23
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

By constituency

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Constituency Seats Electorate Turnout Party Votes Seats
won
Aargau 15 363,920 153,832 Swiss People's Party 778,770 6
Social Democratic Party 474,727 3
Christian Democratic People's Party 348,639 2
Free Democratic Party 342,629 2
Green Party 133,202 1
Evangelical People's Party 116,864 1
Swiss Democrats 32,175 0
Freedom Party 5,070 0
Swiss Nationalist Party 2,867 0
Appenzell Ausserrhoden 1 36,047 17,789 Free Democratic Party 7,161 1
Swiss People's Party 6,680 0
Social Democratic Party 3,468 0
Others 131 0
Appenzell Innerrhoden 1 10,228 3,595 Christian Democratic People's Party 2,310 1
Swiss People's Party 725 0
Others 300 0
Basel-Landschaft 7 179,186 79,248 Swiss People's Party 144,624 2
Social Democratic Party 134,620 2
Free Democratic Party 108,566 1
Green Party 68,652 1
Christian Democratic People's Party 54,769 1
Swiss Democrats 14,707 0
Evangelical People's Party 14,554 0
Non-Partisan 4Wb 4,332 0
Freedom Party 1,107 0
Basel-Stadt 5 116,361 57,735 Social Democratic Party 115,492 3
Swiss People's Party 52,574 1
Free Democratic Party 27,975 1
Liberal Party 23,873 0
Christian Democratic People's Party 18,612 0
Green Party 16,122 0
Strong Alternative Basel 9,893 0
Evangelical People's Party 8,080 0
People's Action 4,425 0
Swiss Democrats 3,122 0
Federal Democratic Union 2,086 0
Bern 26 685,159 288,679 Swiss People's Party 2,180,961 8
Social Democratic Party 2,058,317 8
Free Democratic Party 1,089,897 4
Green Party 683,025 2
Evangelical People's Party 379,099 1
Federal Democratic Union 301,886 1
Swiss Democrats 196,458 1
Christian Democratic People's Party 172,639 1
Romand List 143,558 0
Freedom Party 77,436 0
Independent Health Party 64,081 0
Action Jörg Stettler 16,254 0
Fribourg 7 164,210 74,547 Christian Democratic People's Party 128,063 2
Social Democratic Party 108,437 2
Swiss People's Party 107,958 1
Free Democratic Party 64,369 1
Christian Social Party 52,766 1
Green Party 20,305 0
Free List - Solidarity 11,158 0
Federal Democratic Union 3,625 0
Evangelical People's Party 3,614 0
Independent Movement 2,644 0
Direct Access 1,694 0
Geneva 11 219,984 101,081 Social Democratic Party 268,703 3
Swiss People's Party 198,586 2
Liberal Party 182,517 2
Christian Democratic People's Party 128,317 1
Green Party 121,762 1
Free Democratic Party 79,030 1
Solidarity 58,903 1
Party of Labour 29,195 0
Union of Swiss Patriots 10,735 0
The Communists 7,506 0
Glarus 1 24,934 6,304 Social Democratic Party 3,811 1
Christian Democratic People's Party 701 0
Swiss People's Party 334 0
Others 831 0
Grisons 5 129,782 50,766 Swiss People's Party 81,012 2
Social Democratic Party 59,624 1
Christian Democratic People's Party 56,295 1
Free Democratic Party 37,849 1
Federal Democratic Union 4,484 0
Jura 2 48,356 22,552 Christian Democratic People's Party 17,517 1
Social Democratic Party 15,186 1
Free Democratic Party 7,243 0
Swiss People's Party 3,675 0
Federal Democratic Union 787 0
Lucerne 10 237,537 120,970 Christian Democratic People's Party 345,791 3
Swiss People's Party 280,566 3
Free Democratic Party 271,153 2
Social Democratic Party 130,694 1
Green Party 115,076 1
CHance21 18,352 0
Evangelical People's Party 9,505 0
Swiss Democrats 4,137 0
Neuchâtel 5 105,235 59,925 Social Democratic Party 74,551 2
Swiss People's Party 57,279 1
Free Democratic Party 37,800 1
Liberal Party 36,808 0
Green Party 35,247 1
Party of Labour 7,655 0
Solidarity 5,630 0
Nidwalden 1 28,266 11,136 Free Democratic Party 7,888 1
Swiss Democrats 912 0
Others 111 0
Obwalden 1 22,900 10,471 Christian Democratic People's Party 6,402 1
Swiss People's Party 3,238 0
Others 2 0
Schaffhausen 2 48,022 30,349 Social Democratic Party 23,054 1
Free Democratic Party 16,923 1
Swiss People's Party 16,565 0
Christian Democratic People's Party 1,540 0
Schwyz 4 89,902 43,338 Swiss People's Party 72,419 2
Christian Democratic People's Party 38,894 1
Social Democratic Party 29,134 1
Free Democratic Party 25,471 0
Solothurn 7 166,052 78,689 Social Democratic Party 136,667 2
Free Democratic Party 129,086 2
Swiss People's Party 120,967 2
Christian Democratic People's Party 113,193 1
Green Party 32,283 0
Evangelical People's Party 6,445 0
St. Gallen 12 291,445 124,786 Swiss People's Party 486,421 4
Christian Democratic People's Party 326,104 3
Social Democratic Party 270,353 2
Free Democratic Party 215,599 2
Green Party 103,868 1
Evangelical People's Party 22,118 0
Federal Democratic Union 16,457 0
Swiss Democrats 11,165 0
Catholic People's Party 6,129 0
Animal Welfare is Human Protection 6,054 0
Brave and Innovative, One for All 4,957 0
The East Swiss Party 1,405 0
Ticino 8 198,992 96,760 Free Democratic Party 218,619 2
Social Democratic Party 189,427 2
Christian Democratic People's Party 180,320 2
Ticino League 58,428 1
Swiss People's Party 55,652 0
Green Party 21,765 0
Risorgimento ticinese 9,552 0
Thurgau 6 146,431 62,771 Swiss People's Party 151,591 3
Christian Democratic People's Party 60,764 1
Social Democratic Party 52,080 1
Free Democratic Party 43,909 1
Green Party 29,282 0
Swiss Democrats 10,879 0
Evangelical People's Party 10,020 0
Federal Democratic Union 7,145 0
Catholic People's Party 2,557 0
Freedom Party 1,147 1
Uri 1 25,513 11,323 Free Democratic Party 3,964 1
Swiss People's Party 3,384 0
Green Party 3,312 0
Others 160 0
Vaud 18 373,917 172,119 Social Democratic Party 604,820 4
Swiss People's Party 567,015 4
Free Democratic Party 515,592 4
Green Party 315,430 2
Liberal Party 308,437 2
Party of Labour 187,388 2
Christian Democratic People's Party 128,878 0
Solidarity 73,483 0
Federal Democratic Union 49,225 0
Evangelical People's Party 18,365 0
Swiss Democrats 9,675 0
Future + Security 7,268 0
The Right to Know 6,843 0
Valais 7 190,121 101,344 Christian Democratic People's Party 259,846 3
Social Democratic Party 128,428 2
Free Democratic Party 114,910 1
Swiss People's Party 89,834 1
Christian Social Party 62,382 0
Green Party 17,443 0
Zug 3 67,318 35,418 Swiss People's Party 28,715 1
Christian Democratic People's Party 23,730 1
Free Democratic Party 23,178 0
Alternative Kanton Zug 14,095 1
Social Democratic Party 13,929 0
Zürich 34 810,622 365,859 Swiss People's Party 4,103,136 12
Social Democratic Party 3,153,112 10
Free Democratic Party 1,995,988 5
Green Party 1,040,672 3
Christian Democratic People's Party 667,236 2
Evangelical People's Party 504,952 1
Alternative List 266,063 0
Federal Democratic Union 253,322 1
Free Forum 112,781 0
Swiss Democrats 106,877 0
Hanf Ueli 23,731 0
Youth in Parliament! 19,287 0
Europe Party 12,184 0
Freedom Party 11,364 0
Humanist Party 9,730 0
Die-Jugend.ch 4,206 0
Danowski 3,631 0
Source: Bundesblatt, 18 November 2003

Council of the States

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PartySeats+/–
Christian Democratic People's Party150
Free Democratic Party14–3
Social Democratic Party9+3
Swiss People's Party8+1
Total460
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1895 ISBN 9783832956097

Bibliography

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