Swiss parliamentary elections 1911
The Swiss parliamentary elections in 1911 took place on October 29, 1911. There were 189 seats in the National Council (22 more than before). The elections were made according to the majority vote , with the country divided into 49 national council constituencies of different sizes . Despite increasing internal party differences, the Free Democratic Party (FDP) again managed to win an absolute majority of the seats, while the Social Democrats were able to gain the most proportionally. The newly elected parliament met for the first time in the 22nd legislative period on December 4, 1911.
Reallocation of constituencies
Based on the results of the 1910 census , the law required a new division of the constituencies. In accordance with the principle established in 1848 that a National Council must represent 20,000 souls (residents) or a fraction of more than 10,000 souls, the total number of seats increased from 167 to 189. Of the 22 additional mandates, three each fell the cantons of Bern and Zurich , two each for the cantons of Aargau , St. Gallen and Vaud, and one each for the cantons of Basel-Landschaft , Basel-Stadt , Freiburg , Geneva , Graubünden , Lucerne , Neuchâtel , Solothurn , Ticino and Thurgau . On October 23, 1910, a popular initiative to introduce proportional representation had narrowly failed. The constituency revision that was due a few months later caused less controversy than seldom before. Although the Social Democrats denounced the “ constituency geometry” in series of articles and brochures, little was expected of new constituencies being drawn. Rather, the violent criticism was used to discredit the majority system as such and to work towards the early introduction of proportional representation. Obvious constituency manipulation should persist in order to be able to fight the unpopular electoral system all the more effectively later.
The additional mandates could mostly be distributed without any problems, as the cantons concerned already formed single constituencies or because constituencies were taken into account that had been underrepresented since the last revision. The Federal Council proposed fundamental changes in only two cantons . In the canton of Zurich, the population of the 1st constituency, which included the districts of Zurich and Affoltern , was divided into two parts. The newly created constituency consisted of part of the city of Zurich and some communities in the Limmat Valley . In this area the Social Democrats dominated, so that they had five seats for sure; in the rest of Switzerland they were still dependent on concessions from the other parties. Since they were only rarely willing to do so, the Social Democrats saw the new constituency as a kind of “Indian reservation” that would serve as an alibi for refusing concessions in other places. In the canton of Friborg, two Catholic-Conservative constituencies were amalgamated - but only after the liberals in the sense of "voluntary proportional representation" had received the assurance of a guaranteed seat.
There was political resistance to the downsizing of the Bernese Oberland constituency, so that the necessary population balance between Oberaargau and Emmental had to be carried out. However, minor adjustments to constituency boundaries in the cantons of Aargau, St. Gallen, Ticino and Vaud were largely undisputed. In St. Gallen, the cantonal government agreed a kind of standstill agreement that guaranteed the parties a fixed number of seats for the next ten years. With the approval of the National Council and the Council of States , the “Federal Law on the National Council constituencies” came into force on June 23, 1911.
Election campaign
The new constituency division remained an important issue during the election campaign. The liberals admitted frankly that the willingness to grant concessions in the case of “voluntary proportional representation” had meanwhile reached its limit and further concessions would call their majority into question. In doing so, they indirectly admitted that their hegemony was now based solely on the electoral system and no longer on their appeal as a people's party. The internal fragmentation of the FDP meant that the Social Democrats were able to make high inflation a central election campaign issue, practically without being contradicted . As a result of the tight labor market, wages had risen across the board, but not enough to keep up with rising prices. In particular, increases in apartment rents, the price of milk and the price of meat products were controversial. The social democrats operated with catchphrases such as “starvation of the people” or “peasant food usury”. In doing so, they alluded to the fact that the FDP was increasingly dependent on the support of the influential farmers' association in order to maintain its power , which in several cases was able to push through candidates that it liked.
The liberals only managed with difficulty to bridge internal party differences and to reconcile the interests of the party wings. Although the Swiss Trade Association had advised against it, a competing citizens' party emerged for the first time in Basel-Stadt in 1911 (a forerunner of the later BGB ). In the cantons of Bern and Solothurn in particular, the young liberals advocated greater accommodation towards the left, which led to the liberal party congress being almost exclusively concerned with social policy . There were also internal party disputes at the SP: The moderate Grütliverein , which had been loosely associated with the party since 1901 and continued to lead a life of its own, was to be dissolved. The alignment sought by the left wing was averted, but the continuing tensions were to lead to the break-off of the Grütliverein five years later. The Catholic conservatives were able to avert the threat of secession from the Christian social wing, but the attempt to found a nationwide party in 1908 failed again. This only succeeded in April 1912, six months after the elections.
During the 21st legislative period , there were twelve substitute elections in ten electoral districts due to vacancies, with only minor shifts in seats. In 1911 there were a total of 54 ballots (two fewer than three years earlier). In 44 of 49 constituencies, the elections were decided after the first ballot. With the last ballot on November 12, 1911, the National Council was complete. The turnout was the same as in 1908. The canton of Aargau had the highest value , where 83.1% cast their vote. The cantons of Schaffhausen and Thurgau also recorded over 80% participation . Participation was lowest in the canton of Obwalden , where only 20.7% took part in the elections. Due to the increase in mandates, all groups with the exception of the liberal center were able to win seats. In proportion, the Social Democrats gained the most with eight additional seats and established themselves as the third-strongest force, while the Liberals gained ten seats. In Aargau, the Rhine District Party, a split of left-wing FDP dissidents in the north of the canton, won a seat.
Result of the National Council elections
Overall result
Of 830,120 adult male eligible voters, 437,710 took part in the elections, which corresponds to a turnout of 52.7%.
The 189 seats in the National Council were distributed as follows:
* 1 seat for RP |
|
Note: Candidates can only be assigned to parties and political groups to a limited extent (with the exception of the Liberals and Social Democrats). In line with the political reality of the early 20th century, one can rather speak of party currents or directions, the boundaries of which are partially fluid. The party names used are therefore an ideological assessment.
Results in the cantons
The table below shows the distribution of seats won by cantons.
| Canton | seats total |
electoral circles |
participating pation |
FDP | KK | SP | LM | DL | RP | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Aargau
|
12 | 4th | 83.1% | 8th | +1 | 3 | 1 | +1 | |||||||
 Appenzell Ausserrhoden
|
3 | 1 | 75.7% | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||
 Appenzell Innerrhoden
|
1 | 1 | 76.8% | 1 | |||||||||||
 Basel-Country
|
4th | 1 | 41.7% | 3 | +1 | 1 | |||||||||
 Basel city
|
7th | 1 | 52.8% | 3 | 2 | +1 | 2 | ||||||||
 Bern
|
32 | 7th | 43.7% | 25th | +1 | 2 | 3 | +2 | 2 | ||||||
 Freiburg
|
7th | 2 | 47.7% | 2 | +1 | 5 | |||||||||
 Geneva
|
8th | 1 | 53.1% | 5 | +2 | 1 | +1 | 1 | +1 | 1 | −3 | ||||
 Glarus
|
2 | 1 | 55.9% | 2 | |||||||||||
 Grisons
|
6th | 1 | 56.3% | 4th | +1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
 Lucerne
|
8th | 3 | 35.6% | 3 | 5 | +1 | |||||||||
 Neuchâtel
|
7th | 1 | 53.5% | 5 | 1 | +1 | 1 | ||||||||
 Nidwalden
|
1 | 1 | 20.7% | 1 | |||||||||||
 Obwalden
|
1 | 1 | 36.5% | 1 | |||||||||||
 Schaffhausen
|
2 | 1 | 82.6% | 2 | |||||||||||
 Schwyz
|
3 | 1 | 26.1% | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||
 Solothurn
|
6th | 1 | 39.5% | 4th | 1 | 1 | +1 | ||||||||
 St. Gallen
|
15th | 5 | 75.4% | 7th | +2 | 6th | - | −1 | 2 | +1 | |||||
 Ticino
|
8th | 2 | 29.5% | 5 | 2 | +1 | - | −1 | 1 | +1 | |||||
 Thurgau
|
7th | 1 | 82.9% | 5 | +1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
 Uri
|
1 | 1 | 37.1% | 1 | |||||||||||
 Vaud
|
16 | 3 | 32.2% | 12 | +1 | 4th | +1 | ||||||||
 Valais
|
6th | 2 | 45.2% | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||
 train
|
1 | 1 | 27.8% | 1 | |||||||||||
 Zurich
|
25th | 5 | 65.5% | 17th | −1 | 6th | +4 | 2 | |||||||
| Switzerland | 189 | 49 | 52.7% | 115 | +10 | 38 | +3 | 15th | +8 | 14th | -1 | 6th | +1 | 1 | +1 |
Council of States elections
The members of the Council of States in 18 cantons were able to choose who were eligible to vote : in the cantons of Aargau , Basel-Landschaft , Basel-Stadt , Geneva , Graubünden , Lucerne , Schwyz , Solothurn , Ticino , Thurgau , Zug and Zurich at the ballot box, in the cantons Appenzell Ausserrhoden , Appenzell Innerrhoden , Glarus , Nidwalden , Obwalden and Uri an der Landsgemeinde . In all other cantons, the election was made indirectly by the respective cantonal parliaments . In many cantons the elections to the Council of States did not take place at the same time as the elections to the National Council.
Distribution of seats
The distribution of seats in the Council of States was as follows:
| Political party | Elections 1911 | Elections 1908 |
|---|---|---|
| FDP | 25th | 26th |
| CIP | 16 | 1 16 |
| LM | 1 | 1 |
| DP | 1 | 1 |
| SP | 1 | 0 |
Elected Councils of State
literature
- Erich Gruner : The elections to the Swiss National Council 1848-1919 . tape 1 , first part. Francke Verlag, Bern 1978, ISBN 3-7720-1442-9 .
- Erich Gruner: The elections to the Swiss National Council 1848-1919 . tape 1 , second part. Francke Verlag, Bern 1978, ISBN 3-7720-1443-7 .
- Erich Gruner: The elections to the Swiss National Council 1848-1919 . tape 2 . Francke Verlag, Bern 1978, ISBN 3-7720-1444-5 (notes).
- Erich Gruner: The elections to the Swiss National Council 1848-1919 . tape 3 . Francke Verlag, Bern 1978, ISBN 3-7720-1445-3 (tables, graphics, maps).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Gruner: The elections in the Swiss National Council 1848-1919 , Volume 1, first part, p. 376.
- ↑ a b Gruner: The elections in the Swiss National Council 1848-1919 , Volume 1, first part, pp. 376–378.
- ↑ Gruner: The elections in the Swiss National Council 1848-1919 , Volume 1, second part, p. 776.
- ↑ Gruner: The elections in the Swiss National Council 1848-1919 , Volume 1, first part, p. 377.
- ↑ Federal Act on the National Council constituencies (of June 23, 1911). (PDF, 296 kB) In: Federal Gazette No. 26 of June 28, 1911. admin.ch , May 21, 2013, accessed on August 13, 2014 .
- ↑ Gruner: The elections in the Swiss National Council 1848-1919 , Volume 1, second part, pp. 776-777.
- ↑ Gruner: The elections in the Swiss National Council 1848-1919 , Volume 1, second part, pp. 777-779.
- ↑ Gruner: The elections in the Swiss National Council 1848-1919 , Volume 1, second part, p. 775.
- ↑ Gruner: The elections in the Swiss National Council 1848-1919 , Volume 3, p. 369.
- ↑ Gruner: The elections in the Swiss National Council 1848-1919 , Volume 1, second part, p. 784.
- ↑ Gruner: The elections in the Swiss National Council 1848-1919 , Volume 3, p. 485.
- ↑ Gruner: The elections in the Swiss National Council 1848-1919 , Volume 3, pp. 299-312
- ↑ Gruner: The elections in the Swiss National Council 1848-1919 , Volume 3, p. 366.
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