1902 Swiss federal election
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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 | 50.39 | 100 | +16 | |
| Catholic People's Party | 94,031 | 23.09 | 35 | +3 | |
| Social Democratic Party | 51,338 | 12.60 | 7 | +3 | |
| Liberal Centre | 34,928 | 8.58 | 20 | 0 | |
| Democratic Group | 15,053 | 3.70 | 4 | –3 | |
| Bern People's Party | 6,737 | 1.65 | 1 | New | |
| Others | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 407,322 | 100.00 | 167 | +20 | |
| Valid votes | 407,322 | 94.36 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 24,348 | 5.64 | |||
| Total votes | 431,670 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 760,252 | 56.78 | |||
| Source: Mackie & Rose,[3] BFS (seats) | |||||
By constituency
[edit]| Constituency | Seats | Party | Seats won |
Elected members | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zürich 1 | 9 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Liberal Centre | 2 |
| |||
| Social Democratic Party | 2 |
| |||
| Democratic Group | 1 | Friedrich Fritschi | |||
| Zürich 2 | 5 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Liberal Centre | 2 |
| |||
| Zürich 3 | 5 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Social Democratic Party | 1 | Friedrich Studer | |||
| Zürich 4 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Bern 5 | 5 | Free Democratic Party | 5 |
| |
| Bern 6 | 6 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Liberal Centre | 2 |
| |||
| Bern 7 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Bern 8 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Bern People's Party | 1 | Ulrich Dürrenmatt | |||
| Bern 9 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Bern 10 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Bern 11 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Free Democratic Party | 1 | Louis Joliat | |||
| Lucerne 12 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Lucerne 13 | 2 | Catholic Right | 3 |
| |
| Lucerne 14 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Uri 15 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Franz Schmid | |
| Schwyz 16 | 3 | Catholic Right | 3 |
| |
| Obwalden 17 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Peter Anton Ming | |
| Nidwalden 18 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Karl Niederberger | |
| Glarus 19 | 2 | Democratic Group | 1 | Eduard Blumer | |
| Free Democratic Party | 1 | Rudolf Gallati | |||
| Zug 20 | 1 | Free Democratic Party | 1 | Klemens Iten | |
| Fribourg 21 | 2 | Catholic Right | 1 | Louis de Diesbach | |
| Free Democratic Party | 1 | Constant Dinichert | |||
| Fribourg 22 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Fribourg 23 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Solothurn 24 | 5 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Catholic Right | 1 | Franz Josef Hänggi | |||
| Basel-Stadt 25 | 6 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Liberal Centre | 2 |
| |||
| Social Democratic Party | 1 | Alfred Brüstlein | |||
| Basel-Landschaft 26 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 2 |
| |
| Bauern- und Arbeiterbund | 1 | Stephan Gschwind | |||
| Schaffhausen 27 | 2 | Free Democratic Party | 2 |
| |
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden 28 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Appenzell Innerhoden 29 | 1 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Karl Justin Sonderegger | |
| St. Gallen 30 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 1 | Karl Emil Wild | |
| Democratic Group | 1 | J. A. Scherrer-Füllemann | |||
| Social Democratic Party | 1 | Paul Brandt | |||
| St. Gallen 31 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Social Democratic Party | 1 | Heinrich Scherrer | |||
| St. Gallen 32 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| St. Gallen 33 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| St. Gallen 34 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Grisons 35 | 5 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Alfred von Planta | |||
| Catholic Right | 1 | Caspar Decurtins | |||
| Aargau 36 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Aargau 37 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Aargau 38 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Jakob Nietlispach | |
| Aargau 39 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Emil Albert Baldinger | |
| Catholic Right | 1 | Franz Xaver Eggspühler | |||
| Free Democratic Party | 1 | Josef Jäger | |||
| Thurgau 40 | 6 | Free Democratic Party | 5 |
| |
| Democratic Group | 1 | Emil Hofmann | |||
| Ticino 41 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Catholic Right | 1 | Giovanni Lurati | |||
| Ticino 42 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 2 |
| |
| Catholic Right | 1 | Giuseppe Motta | |||
| Vaud 43 | 7 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Liberal Centre | 3 |
| |||
| Vaud 44 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Vaud 45 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 2 |
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| Liberal Centre | 1 | Louis-Charles Delarageaz | |||
| Valais 46 | 4 | Catholic Right | 4 |
| |
| Valais 47 | 2 | Free Democratic Party | 1 | Camille Défayes | |
| Catholic Right | 1 | Henri Bioley | |||
| Neuchâtel 48 | 6 | Free Democratic Party | 5 |
| |
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Jules Calame | |||
| Geneva 49 | 7 | Liberal Centre | 4 |
| |
| Free Democratic Party | 2 |
| |||
| Catholic Right | 1 | Théodore Fontana | |||
| Source: Gruner[4] | |||||
References
[edit]- ^ Elections to the National Council 1848–1917: Distribution of seats by party or political orientation Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine 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
- ^ Gruner, Erich. Die Wahlen in den Schweizerischen Nationalrat 1848–1919. Vol. 3.
