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Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 30 October 1881. The Radical Left remained the largest group in the National Council, regaining the majority they had lost in 1863.[1]
Electoral system
The 145 members of the National Council were elected in 49 single- and multi-member constituencies using a three-round system. Candidates had to receive a majority in the first or second round to be elected; if it went to a third round, only a plurality was required. Voters could cast as many votes as there were seats in their constituency.[2] There was one seat for every 20,000 citizens, with seats allocated to cantons in proportion to their population.[2]
The elections were held under the new Federal law concerning the elections of National Council members passed on 3 May 1881. The number of seats was increased from 135 to 145 following the 1880 census, and the number of constituencies from 48 to 49; Bern and Zürich both gained two seats, whilst Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Basel-Stadt, Geneva, Schwyz, Ticino and Vaud all gained one.
Results
National Council
Voter turnout was highest in Schaffhausen (where voting was compulsory) at 95.2% and lowest in Schwyz at 28.3%.
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Radical Left | 39.8 | 75 | +18 | ||
Catholic Right | 24.6 | 35 | –2 | ||
Liberal Centre | 20.4 | 22 | –4 | ||
Democratic Group | 7.7 | 10 | 0 | ||
Evangelical Right | 6.1 | 3 | –2 | ||
Independents | 1.4 | 0 | 0 | ||
Total | 145 | +10 | |||
Total votes | 395,400 | – | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 637,224 | 62.05 | |||
Source: BFS (seats) |
By constituency
Constituency | Seats | Party | Seats won |
Elected members | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Zürich 1 | 5 | Liberal Centre | 5 |
| |
Zürich 2 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 3 |
| |
Democratic Group | 1 | Johann Jakob Keller | |||
Zürich 3 | 4 | Democratic Group | 4 |
| |
Zürich 4 | 3 | Democratic Group | 3 |
| |
Bern 5 | 5 | Radical Left | 5 |
| |
Bern 6 | 5 | Radical Left | 3 |
| |
Evangelical Right | 1 | Otto von Büren | |||
Liberal Centre | 1 | Jules Schnyder | |||
Bern 7 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 |
| |
Bern 8 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 |
| |
Bern 9 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 |
| |
Bern 10 | 5 | Radical Left | 5 |
| |
Lucerne 11 | 2 | Radical Left | 2 |
| |
Lucerne 12 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Josef Zemp | |
Lucerne 13 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
Lucerne 14 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
Uri 15 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Josef Arnold | |
Schwyz 16 | 3 | Catholic Right | 3 |
| |
Obwalden 17 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Nicolaus Hermann | |
Nidwalden 18 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Robert Durrer | |
Glarus 19 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Esajas Zweifel | |
Radical Left | 1 | Niklaus Tschudi | |||
Zug 20 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Niklaus Moos | |
Fribourg 21 | 2 | Radical Left | 2 |
| |
Fribourg 22 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
Fribourg 23 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
Solothurn 24 | 4 | Radical Left | 3 |
| |
Liberal Centre | 1 | Bernhard Hammer | |||
Basel-Stadt 25 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 |
| |
Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Rudolf Geigy-Merian | |||
Basel-Landschaft 26 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 |
| |
Schaffhausen 27 | 2 | Radical Left | 2 |
| |
Appenzell Ausserrhoden 28 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 |
| |
Radical Left | 1 | Johann Conrad Sonderegger | |||
Appenzell Innerhoden 29 | 1 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Karl Justin Sonderegger | |
St. Gallen 30 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 2 |
| |
Catholic Right | 1 | Johann Gebhard Lutz | |||
Evangelical Right | 1 | Carl von Gonzenbach | |||
St. Gallen 31 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Rudolf Hilty | |
Catholic Right | 1 | Wilhelm Good | |||
Democratic Group | 1 | Carl Theodor Curti | |||
St. Gallen 32 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Rudolf Moser | |||
Grisons 33 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Simeon Bavier | |
Evangelical Right | 1 | Hermann J. von Sprecher | |||
Grisons 34 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
Grisons 35 | 1 | Radical Left | 1 | Andrea Bezzola | |
Aargau 36 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 |
| |
Aargau 37 | 4 | Radical Left | 2 |
| |
Liberal Centre | 2 |
| |||
Aargau 38 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
Liberal Centre | 1 | Emil Welti | |||
Thurgau 39 | 5 | Radical Left | 3 |
| |
Liberal Centre | 1 | Jakob Huldreich Bachmann | |||
Democratic Group | 1 | Adolf Deucher | |||
Ticino 40 | 2 | Radical Left | 2 |
| |
Ticino 41 | 5 | Catholic Right | 5 |
| |
Vaud 42 | 5 | Radical Left | 5 |
| |
Vaud 43 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 |
| |
Vaud 44 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 |
| |
Valais 45 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
Valais 46 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Maurice Evéquoz | |
Valais 47 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
Neuchâtel 48 | 5 | Radical Left | 5 |
| |
Geneva 49 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 |
| |
Liberal Centre | 1 | Arthur Chenevière | |||
Source: Gruner[3] |
Council of States
Party | Seats | +/– | |
---|---|---|---|
Catholic Right | 18 | +1 | |
Radical Left | 17 | +6 | |
Liberal Centre | 4 | –7 | |
Democratic Left | 3 | +1 | |
Evangelical Right | 1 | +1 | |
Independents | 1 | –1 | |
Total | 44 | 0 | |
Source: The Federal Assembly |
References
- ↑ Elections to the National Council 1848–1917: Distribution of seats by party or political orientation Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine BFS
- 1 2 Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1886 ISBN 9783832956097
- ↑ Gruner, Erich. Die Wahlen in den Schweizerischen Nationalrat 1848–1919. Vol. 3.