1869 Swiss federal election

Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 31 October 1869. The Radical Left remained the largest group in the National Council.[1]

The 47 electoral districts

Electoral system

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The 128 members of the National Council were elected in 47 single- and multi-member constituencies; there was one seat for every 20,000 citizens, with seats allocated to cantons in proportion to their population.[2] The elections were held 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] In six cantons (Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Glarus, Nidwalden, Obwalden and Uri), National Council members were elected by the Landsgemeinde.

Results

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National Council

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Voter turnout was highest in Aargau at 85.6% (higher than the 79.1% who voted in Schaffhausen, where voting was compulsory) and lowest in Schwyz and Zug at 22.1%.

14
56
31
24
3
PartyFirst roundSecond roundThird roundTotal
seats
Votes%SeatsVotes%SeatsVotes%Seats
Radical Left319,99837.465039,63128.55317,93259.95255
Liberal Centre253,95129.732929,22421.0513,43311.48131
Democratic Left129,26015.13850,05436.05614
Catholic Right120,24814.082213,98710.0718,54728.57124
Evangelical Right24,5822.8835,9404.2803
Radical Left dissidents6,1220.7211
Total854,161100.00113138,836100.001129,912100.004128
Source: BFS

By constituency

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Constituency Seats Party Seats

won

Elected members
Zürich 1 4 Liberal Centre 4
  • Jakob Dubs
  • Alfred Escher
  • Eduard Suter
  • Johann Jakob Widmer
Zürich 2 3 Democratic Left 2
  • Johann Jakob Keller
  • Walter Hauser
Liberal Centre 1 Johann Heinrich Fierz
Zürich 3 3 Democratic Left 3
  • Hans Rudolf Zangger
  • Johann Jakob Spörri
  • Salomon Bleuler
Zürich 4 3 Democratic Left 3
  • Friedrich Scheuchzer
  • Jakob Fehr
  • Johann Jakob Scherer
Bern 5 4 Radical Left 4
  • Carl Samuel Zyro
  • Friedrich Seiler
  • Johann Jakob Karlen
  • Jakob Scherz
Bern 6 4 Evangelical Right 3
  • Otto von Büren
  • Samuel Steiner
  • August von Gonzenbach
Radical Left 1 Rudolf Brunner
Bern 7 4 Radical Left 4
  • Karl Schenk
  • Samuel Lehmann
  • Ludwig Wyss
  • Karl Karrer
Bern 8 4 Radical Left 3
  • Andreas Schmid
  • Johann Bützberger
  • Jakob Leuenberger
Liberal Centre 1 Daniel Flückiger
Bern 9 3 Radical Left 3
  • Eduard Marti
  • Jakob Stämpfli
  • Friedrich Eggli
Bern 10 4 Radical Left 4
  • Édouard Carlin
  • Paul Migy
  • Niklaus Kaiser
  • Pierre Jolissaint
Lucerne 11 2 Liberal Centre 1 Josef Martin Knüsel
Radical Left 1 Josef Bucher
Lucerne 12 2 Catholic Right 2
  • Philipp Anton von Segesser
  • Vinzenz Fischer
Lucerne 13 3 Catholic Right 3
  • Franz Xaver Beck
  • Jost Peyer
  • Adam Herzog
Uri 14 1 Catholic Right 1 Josef Arnold
Schwyz 15 2 Liberal Centre 1 Josef Anton Eberle
Catholic Right 1 Karl Styger
Obwalden 16 1 Catholic Right 1 Simon Ettlin
Nidwalden 17 1 Catholic Right 1 Alois Wyrsch
Glarus 18 2 Liberal Centre 1 Joachim Heer
Radical Left 1 Peter Jenny II
Zug 19 1 Radical Left 1 Karl Josef Merz
Fribourg 20 3 Catholic Right 3
  • Louis de Weck
  • Alfred Vonderweid
  • Laurent Chaney
Fribourg 21 2 Catholic Right 2
  • Pierre-Théodule Fracheboud
  • Louis de Wuilleret
Solothurn 22 3 Radical Left 2
  • Benedikt von Arx
  • Simon Kaiser
Catholic Right 1 Franz Bünzli
Basel-Stadt 23 2 Liberal Centre 1 Johann Jakob Stehlin
Radical Left 1 Wilhelm Klein
Basel-Landschaft 24 3 Radical Left 2
  • Emanuel Löw
  • Stephan Gutzwiller
Liberal Centre 1 Martin Bider
Schaffhausen 25 2 Democratic Left 1 Wilhelm Joos
Liberal Centre 1 Friedrich Peyer im Hof
Appenzell Ausserrhoden 26 2 Liberal Centre 1 Adolf Friedrich Zürcher
Radical Left 1 Johannes Hohl
Appenzell Innerhoden 27 1 Catholic Right 1 Alois Broger
St. Gallen 28 3 Liberal Centre 2
  • Johann Baptist Weder
  • Daniel Wirth-Sand
Catholic Right 1 Johannes Zündt
St. Gallen 29 3 Radical Left 2
  • Josef Leonhard Bernold
  • Johann Baptist Gaudy
Liberal Centre 1 Johann Ulrich Ambühl
St. Gallen 30 3 Liberal Centre 2
  • Carl Georg Jakob Sailer
  • Georg Friedrich Anderegg
Radical Left 1 Johann M. Hungerbühler
Grisons 31 2 Liberal Centre 1 Simeon Bavier
Radical Left 1 Gaudenz Gadmer
Grisons 32 2 Catholic Right 1 Johann R. von Toggenburg
Radical Left 1 Johann Bartholome Caflisch
Grisons 33 1 Radical Left 1 Johann Albert Romedi
Aargau 34 3 Liberal Centre 2
  • Friedrich Frey-Herosé
  • Carl Feer-Herzog
Radical Left 1 Arnold Künzli
Aargau 35 4 Liberal Centre 3
  • Peter Suter
  • Alois Isler
  • Theodor Bertschinger
Democratic Left 1 Rudolf Urech
Aargau 36 3 Catholic Right 2
  • Karl von Schmid
  • Arnold Münch
Liberal Centre 1 Fridolin Schneider
Thurgau 37 5 Democratic Left 4
  • Fridolin Anderwert
  • Jakob Albert Scherb
  • Friedrich Heinrich Häberlin
  • Adolf Deucher
Liberal Centre 1 Johann Messmer
Ticino 38 3 Radical Left 3
  • Giuseppe Soldini
  • Costantino Bernasconi
  • Carlo Battaglini
Ticino 39 3 Catholic Right 1 Michele Pedrazzini
Radical Left 1 Giovanni Jauch
Liberal Centre 1 Luigi Rusca
Vaud 40 4 Radical Left 2
  • Victor Ruffy
  • Louis Ruchonnet
Liberal Centre 2
Vaud 41 4 Radical Left 3
  • Abram-Daniel Meystre
  • Victor Perrin
  • Georges-Louis Contesse
Liberal Centre 1 Jean-Louis Demiéville
Vaud 42 3 Radical Left 3
  • Louis-Henri Delarageaz
  • Charles Baud
  • Henri Reymond
Valais 43 2 Catholic Right 2
  • Alexis Allet
  • Hans Anton von Roten
Valais 44 1 Catholic Right 1 Maurice Evéquoz
Valais 45 2 Radical Left 2
  • Louis Barman
  • Maurice-Antoine Cretton
Neuchâtel 46 4 Radical Left 3
  • Jules Philippin
  • Édouard Desor
  • Zélim Perret
Radical Left dissidents 1 Louis Constant Lambelet
Geneva 47 4 Radical Left 3
  • Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel
  • Moïse Vautier
  • Antoine Carteret
Liberal Centre 1 François-Jules Pictet
Source: Gruner[3]

Council of States

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PartySeats+/–
Catholic Right140
Liberal Centre12–1
Radical Left11–1
Democratic Left4+3
Evangelical Right00
Independents3+1
Total440
Source: The Federal Assembly

References

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  1. ^ Elections to the National Council 1848–1917: Distribution of seats by party or political orientation Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine BFS
  2. ^ a b Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1886 ISBN 9783832956097
  3. ^ Gruner, Erich. Die Wahlen in den Schweizerischen Nationalrat 1848–1919. Vol. 3.