Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 29 October 1911. The Free Democratic Party retained its majority in the National Council.[1]
Electoral system
editThe 189 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 new Federal law concerning the constituencies for the election of National Council members of passed on 23 June 1911. Following the 1910 census the number of seats was increased from 167 to 189, although the number of constituencies remained the same. Bern and Zürich both gained three seats, Aargau, St. Gallen and Vaud gained two, whilst, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Fribourg, Geneva, Graubünden, Lucerne, Neuchâtel, Solothurn, Ticino and Thurgau all gained one. A referendum on introducing proportional representation had been held in October 1910, and although it was approved by a majority of cantons, it was narrowly rejected by voters.
Results
editVoter turnout was highest in Aargau at 83.1% (higher than the 80% in Schaffhausen, where voting was compulsory) and lowest in Obwalden at 21.1%.
 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
| Free Democratic Party | 198,300 | 49.47 | 115 | +10 | |
| Social Democratic Party | 80,050 | 19.97 | 15 | +8 | |
| Catholic People's Party | 76,726 | 19.14 | 38 | +4 | |
| Liberal Centre | 27,062 | 6.75 | 14 | –2 | |
| Democratic Group | 12,610 | 3.15 | 6 | +1 | |
| Circle of Rhine Party | 6,122 | 1.53 | 1 | New | |
| Others | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 400,870 | 100.00 | 189 | +22 | |
| Valid votes | 400,870 | 91.58 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 36,840 | 8.42 | |||
| Total votes | 437,710 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 830,120 | 52.73 | |||
| Source: Mackie & Rose,[3] BFS (seats) | |||||
By constituency
edit| Constituency | Seats | Party | Seats won |
Elected members | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zürich 1 | 7 | Free Democratic Party | 7 |
| |
| Zürich 2 | 5 | Social Democratic Party | 5 |
| |
| Zürich 3 | 5 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Liberal Centre | 2 |
| |||
| Zürich 4 | 5 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Social Democratic Party | 1 | Friedrich Studer | |||
| Zürich 5 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Bern 6 | 6 | Free Democratic Party | 6 |
| |
| Bern 7 | 7 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Liberal Centre | 2 |
| |||
| Social Democratic Party | 1 | Gustav Müller | |||
| Bern 8 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Bern 9 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Social Democratic Party | 1 | August Rikli | |||
| Bern 10 | 5 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Social Democratic Party | 1 | Johann Näher | |||
| Bern 11 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Bern 12 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Free Democratic Party | 1 | Henri Simonin | |||
| Lucerne 13 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Lucerne 14 | 2 | Catholic Right | 3 |
| |
| Lucerne 15 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Uri 16 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Josef Furrer | |
| Schwyz 17 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Free Democratic Party | 1 | Martin Steinegger | |||
| Obwalden 18 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Peter Anton Ming | |
| Nidwalden 19 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Karl Niederberger | |
| Glarus 20 | 2 | Democratic Group | 2 |
| |
| Zug 21 | 1 | Free Democratic Party | 1 | Hermann Stadlin | |
| Fribourg 22 | 2 | Free Democratic Party | 1 | Hermann Liechti | |
| Catholic Right | 1 | Eugène Descheneaux | |||
| Fribourg 23 | 5 | Catholic Right | 4 |
| |
| Free Democratic Party | 1 | A.-F.-L. Cailler | |||
| Solothurn 24 | 6 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Social Democratic Party | 1 | Hans Affolter | |||
| Catholic Right | 1 | Siegfried Hartmann | |||
| Basel-Stadt 25 | 7 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Social Democratic Party | 2 |
| |||
| Liberal Centre | 2 |
| |||
| Basel-Landschaft 26 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Democratic Group | 1 | Albert Schwander | |||
| Schaffhausen 27 | 2 | Free Democratic Party | 2 |
| |
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden 28 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 2 |
| |
| Social Democratic Party | 1 | Howard Eugster | |||
| Appenzell Innerhoden 29 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Adolf Steuble | |
| St. Gallen 30 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Democratic Group | 1 | J. A. Scherrer-Füllemann | |||
| St. Gallen 31 | 4 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Free Democratic Party | 1 | Ernst Schmidheiny | |||
| Democratic Group | 1 | Heinrich Otto Weber | |||
| St. Gallen 32 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| St. Gallen 33 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| St. Gallen 34 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Grisons 35 | 6 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Catholic Right | 1 | Johann Schmid | |||
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Alfred von Planta | |||
| Aargau 36 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Aargau 37 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Aargau 38 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Jakob Nietlispach | |
| Aargau 39 | 4 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Circle of Rhine Party | 1 | Josef Jäger | |||
| Free Democratic Party | 1 | Gustav Adolf Ursprung | |||
| Thurgau 40 | 7 | Free Democratic Party | 5 |
| |
| Catholic Right | 1 | Alfons von Streng | |||
| Democratic Group | 1 | Emil Hofmann | |||
| Ticino 41 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Catholic Right | 1 | Giovanni Lurati | |||
| Ticino 42 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 2 |
| |
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Francesco Balli | |||
| Catholic Right | 1 | Giuseppe Motta | |||
| Vaud 43 | 8 | Free Democratic Party | 5 |
| |
| Liberal Centre | 3 |
| |||
| Vaud 44 | 5 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Armand Piguet | |||
| Vaud 45 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Valais 46 | 4 | Catholic Right | 4 |
| |
| Valais 47 | 2 | Catholic Right | 1 | Maurice Pellissier | |
| Free Democratic Party | 1 | Eugène de Lavallaz | |||
| Neuchâtel 48 | 7 | Free Democratic Party | 5 |
| |
| Social Democratic Party | 1 | Charles Naine | |||
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Jules Calame | |||
| Geneva 49 | 8 | Free Democratic Party | 5 |
| |
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Gustave Ador | |||
| Social Democratic Party | 1 | Jean Sigg | |||
| Catholic Right | 1 | Firmin Ody | |||
| 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.