At stake in the October 2011 elections were 200 seats in the National Council and 44 of the 46 seats in the Council of States (see note).
In the previous elections held in October 2007, the Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC) took 60 seats in the National Council, followed by the Socialist Party (SP/PS), which took 40 seats. The Radical-Democratic Party (FDP/PRD) and the Christian-Democratic People's Party (CVP/PDC) won 31 seats each, with the Green Party (GPS/PES) taking 20. The remaining seats went to small parties. In the Council of States, the CVP/PDC came in first with 15 seats, followed by the FDP/PRD with 12. The SP/PS and the SVP/UDC took nine and seven seats each. The remainder went to small parties.
In December, parliament elected the seven members of the Federal Council (government) for a four-year term. Since 1959, the Federal Council has comprised representatives of the four major parties: the SVP/UDC, the PS/SP, the FDP/PRD and the CVP/PDC. In a surprise move, the most influential and prominent SVP/UDC figure, Christoph Blocher, was not re-elected, the Federal Assembly choosing Ms. Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf (SVP/UDC) instead. The SVP/UDC placed itself on the opposition benches and subsequently expelled its two government representatives from the SVP/UDC parliamentary group. They formed the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP/PBD) in November 2008 under the leadership of Mr. Hans Grunder. In December 2008, the SVP/UDC re-joined the governing coalition.
Following the March 2011 earthquake in Japan and subsequent nuclear accident in Fukushima, the Swiss Government announced in May its intention to abolish all nuclear plants by 2035. On 9 June and 28 September respectively, the National Council and the Council of States approved the government's plan.
In 2011, 3,458 candidates were vying for seats in the National Council.
The SVP/UDC, led by Mr. Toni Brunner since March 2008, pledged to protect the independence of Switzerland by keeping the country out of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It also promised to limit the number of immigrants entering the country and expel foreigners who committed crimes. The party promised to organize a referendum against "mass immigration". Shortly before polling day, the SVP/UDC announced that it had collected the 100,000 signatures required to hold a referendum.
The SP/PS of Mr. Christian Levrat used the slogan "For everyone, without privileges". It pledged to increase the ratio of renewable energy to 50 per cent of the energy used in Switzerland by 2030 and to create a public health insurance fund.
The FDP/PRD of Mr. Fulvio Pelli promised to support small and medium-sized enterprises in a bid to create more jobs. It pledged to reform the social insurance system to make it solid in the long term.
The CVP/PDC, led by Mr. Christophe Darbellay, promised to foster environment-friendly economic activities. On immigration, it pledged to improve the integration of immigrants in Switzerland and to shorten the procedure for processing asylum requests. It also promised to maintain Switzerland's humanitarian tradition while combating abuses of the asylum system.
Mr. Grunder's BDP/PBD pledged to tackle tax fraud and tax evasion and put an end to the indebtedness of the social insurance system.
The GPS/PES of Mr. Ueli Leuenberger pledged to continue the fight against the construction of new nuclear power plants. Another green party, the Liberal Green Party (GLP/PVL), led by Mr. Martin Bäumle, promised to replace the value-added tax by a new tax on non-renewable energy.
On 23 October, 48.5 per cent of 5.1 million registered voters turned out at the polls.
The SVP/UDC remained the largest party in the National Council with 54 seats, down from 60. The SP/PS gained an additional six seats to hold a total of 46. The FDP/PRD and the CVP/PDC took 30 and 28 seats respectively. The GPS/PES took 15, losing five, and the GLP/PVL took 12. The BDP/PBD took nine seats, with the remainder going to small parties. In all, 59 women were elected.
Run-off elections for the Council of States were held in 15 cantons between 13 November and 4 December. The CVP/PDC came first with 13 seats, followed by the FDP/PRD and the SP/PS, which took 11 seats respectively. The remainder went to small parties represented in the National Council. In all, nine women were elected.
On 5 December, the newly elected parliament held its first session. The National Council elected Mr. Hansjörg Walter (SVP/UDC) as its new Speaker while the Council of States elected Mr. Hans Altherr (FDP/PRD) as its new President.
On 14 December, parliament elected the seven members of the Federal Council (government) for a four-year term.
Note:
The seats in the following two half-cantons were decided on prior to October 2011.
- Appenzell Inner Rhodes: A male candidate from the CVP/PDC was elected through "Landsgemeinde" (cantonal assembly of citizens) in May 2011.
- Nidwalden: A male candidate from the CVP/PDC was elected tacitly (without formal vote) in September 2011. |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
