Swiss federal election, 2003

Swiss federal election, 2003

19 October 2003
All 200 seats to the National Council of Switzerland and 43 (of the 46) seats to the Swiss Council of States
First party Second party Third party   Leader Ueli Maurer Christiane Brunner Christiane Langenberger Party Swiss People's Social Democrats Free Democrats Last election 44+7 seats, 22.6% 51+6 seats, 22.5% 43+17 seats, 19.9% Seats won 55+8 52+9 36+14 Seat change 11+1 1+3 7+4 Popular vote 560,750 490,385 364,493 Percentage 26.7% 23.3% 17.3% Swing 4.1pp 0.8pp 2.6pp   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Philipp Stähelin Ruth Genner Claude Ruey Party Christian Democrats Greens Liberals Last election 35+15 seats, 15.8% 8+0 seats, 5.0% 6+0 seats, 2.2% Seats won 28+15 13+0 4+0 Seat change 7+0 5+0 2+0 Popular vote 301,652 156,226 45,864 Percentage 14.4% 7.4% 2.2% Swing 1.4%pp 2.4pp   Seventh party Eighth party Ninth party   Leader  ? Hans Moser  ? Party Evangelical People's Federal Democrats Labour Last election 3+0 seats, 1.8% 1+0 seats, 1.2% 2+0 seats, 1.0% Seats won 3+0 2+0 2+0 Seat change 1+0 Popular vote 47,838 26,590 14,595 Percentage 2.3% 1.3% 0.7% Swing 0.5pp 0.1pp 0.3pp

Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 19 October 2003. Although in Switzerland's peculiar 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.

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

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

National Council

Party	Votes	%	Seats	+/–
Swiss People's Party	560,750	26.7	55	+11
Social Democratic Party	490,385	23.3	52	+1
Free Democratic Party	364,493	17.3	36	–7
Christian Democratic People's Party	301,652	14.4	28	–7
Green Party	156,226	7.4	13	+5
Evangelical People's Party	47,838	2.3	3	0
Liberal Party	45,864	2.2	4	–2
Federal Democratic Union	26,590	1.3	2	+1
Swiss Democrats	20,177	1.0	1	0
Swiss Party of Labour	14,595	0.7	2	0
Feminist and Green Alternative Groups	11,153	0.5	1	0
Solidarity	10,562	0.5	1	0
Christian Social Party	7,539	0.4	1	0
Ticino League	7,304	0.3	1	–1
Freedom Party	4,000	0.2	0	0
Other parties	32,913	1.6	0	–
Invalid/blank votes	59,880	–	–	–
Total	2,161,921	100	200	0
Registered voters/turnout	4,779,733	45.2	–	–
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Council of the States

Party	Seats	+/–
Christian Democratic People's Party	15	0
Free Democratic Party	14	–3
Social Democratic Party	9	+3
Swiss People's Party	8	+1
Total	46	0
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

External links

• Official voting results (German)