Swiss federal election, 1896

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This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Switzerland
The 52 electoral districts

Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 25 October 1896. The Free Democratic Party retained its majority in the National Council.[1]

Electoral system[edit]

The 147 members of the National Council were elected in 52 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]

Results[edit]

Voter turnout was highest in Nidwalden at 90.3% (higher than the 89.3% in Schaffhausen where voting was compulsory) and lowest in Obwalden at 21.4%.

Party Votes % Seats +/–
Free Democratic Party 181,028 48.7 86 +12
Catholic People's Party 85,484 23.0 30 +1
Liberal Centre 54,012 14.5 21 –6
Social Democratic Party 25,304 6.8 2 +1
Democratic Group 19,946 5.4 8 –8
Others 5,750 0.0 0 0
Invalid/blank votes 26,701
Total 398,625 100 147 0
Registered voters/turnout 713,367 55.9
Source: Mackie & Rose,[3] BFS (seats)

References[edit]

  1. ^ Elections to the National Council 1848–1917: Distribution of seats by party or political orientation BFS
  2. ^ a b Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1886 ISBN 9783832956097
  3. ^ Thomas T Mackie & Richard Rose (1991) The International Almanac of Electoral History, Macmillan