2003 Swiss federal election

2003 Swiss federal election

← 1999 19 October 2003 2007 →
Turnout	45.23% 1.93pp
National Council
All 200 seats in the National Council 101 seats needed for a majority
Party Leader % 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

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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.

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	26.68	55	+11
	Social Democratic Party	490,385	23.33	52	+1
	Free Democratic Party	364,493	17.34	36	–7
	Christian Democratic People's Party	301,652	14.35	28	–7
	Green Party	156,226	7.43	13	+5
	Evangelical People's Party	47,838	2.28	3	0
	Liberal Party	45,864	2.18	4	–2
	Federal Democratic Union	26,590	1.26	2	+1
	Swiss Democrats	20,177	0.96	1	0
	Swiss Party of Labour	14,595	0.69	2	0
	Feminist and Green Alternative Groups	11,153	0.53	1	0
	Solidarity	10,562	0.50	1	0
	Christian Social Party	7,539	0.36	1	0
	Ticino League	7,304	0.35	1	–1
	Freedom Party	4,000	0.19	0	0
	Other parties	32,913	1.57	0	–
Total		2,102,041	100.00	200	0
Valid votes		2,102,041	97.23
Invalid/blank votes		59,880	2.77
Total votes		2,161,921	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		4,779,733	45.23
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

By constituency

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

See also

• 2003 Swiss Federal Council election

References

Bibliography

• Church, Clive H. (May 2004). "The Swiss Elections of October 2003: Two Steps to System Change?". West European Politics. 27 (3): 518–534. doi:10.1080/0140238042000228121.

External links

• Official voting results (in German)