Swiss federal election, 1902
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Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 26 October 1902. The Free Democratic Party retained its majority in the National Council.[1]
Electoral system[edit]
The 167 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 Federal law concerning the constituencies for the elections of National Council members passed on 4 June 1902, which reduced the number of constituencies from 52 to 49. Following the 1900 census the number of seats was increased from 147 to 167; Zürich gained five seats, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Geneva, St. Gallen and Vaud all gained two seats, whilst Neuchâtel, Solothurn, Ticino, Thurgau and Valais all gained one. A referendum on introducing proportional representation and direct elections for the Federal Council had been held in 1900, but both proposals were rejected by voters.
Results[edit]
Voter turnout was highest in Schaffhausen (where voting was compulsory) at 85.8% and lowest in Obwalden at 21.4%.
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Democratic Party | 205,235 | 50.4 | 100 | +16 |
| Catholic People's Party | 94,031 | 23.1 | 35 | +3 |
| Social Democratic Party | 51,338 | 12.6 | 7 | +3 |
| Liberal Centre | 34,928 | 8.6 | 20 | 0 |
| Democratic Group | 15,053 | 3.7 | 4 | –3 |
| Bern People's Party | 6,737 | 1.7 | 1 | New |
| Others | 0 | 0 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 24,348 | – | – | – |
| Total | 431,670 | 100 | 167 | +20 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 760,252 | 56.8 | – | – |
| Source: Mackie & Rose,[3] BFS (seats) | ||||
References[edit]
- ^ Elections to the National Council 1848–1917: Distribution of seats by party or political orientation BFS
- ^ a b Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1886 ISBN 9783832956097
- ^ Thomas T Mackie & Richard Rose (1991) The International Almanac of Electoral History, Macmillan