Swiss parliamentary elections 1979
The 1979 Swiss parliamentary elections took place on October 21, 1979. The 200 mandates of the National Council and 38 of the 46 mandates in the Council of States were to be newly awarded. This 41st legislative period lasted four years until October 1983.
There were 1,845 candidatures (1,505 men and 340 women) for the 200 mandates of the National Council. The election winner was the Free Democratic Party . Reference is still often made to her previous Zurich election campaign "More freedom, less state". The losers in the election were the Landesring , the Social Democratic Party and the foreign infiltration parties . The Republicans lost their parliamentary representation. On the other hand, two parties from the new left were able to move into the National Council: The POCH won two seats and Daniel Brélaz was the first in Europe to elect a Green to a national parliament. When the canton of Jura was founded, separatist lists won two seats (one each in the newly founded canton and one in the Bernese Jura ).
The result of the elections to the Council of States differed significantly: the SP (traditionally underrepresented) achieved a record result with 9 seats, which it was only supposed to equalize in 2003. The FDP, on the other hand, was a big loser with 4 lost seats. The LdU lost its only seat on the Council of States.
The turnout in the 1979 National Council elections was 48.05% for the first time since the introduction of proportional representation in 1919, less than 50%. It should drop even further in the subsequent elections and reach its temporary low in 1995 at 42.22%.
Election mode
National Council
The national councils have been elected according to the proportional representation system since 1919 . H. the seats are distributed in the individual cantons according to the proportion of voters on the party lists and only within the list according to the individual votes. The number of seats per canton is determined based on the number of inhabitants.
More detailed on this: National Council (Switzerland) - electoral process
Council of States
Every canton has elected two representatives for the Council of States since 1848 (former half-cantons : one representative). The elections to the Council of States are based on cantonal law. In most of the cantons, the cantons were also elected on October 21st. There were several second ballots. In the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden , Glarus , Nidwalden and Obwalden , the municipalities elected the Council of States. The cantons of Graubünden (electoral period from 1978 to 1982) and Zug (1978–1982) had different election dates. With the founding of the canton of Jura, there were early extraordinary elections for the Council of States on November 19, 1978.
More detailed on this: Council of States - electoral procedure
Results National Council
Parties, voters, seats
The nationwide results were as follows:
Political party | Voters | % | (+/-) | Seats | (+/-) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Social Democratic Party | 447,990 | 24.44% | −0.43% | 51 | −4 |
Liberal Democratic Party | 440,099 | 24.01% | +1.80% | 51 | +4 |
Christian Democratic People's Party | 390,281 | 21.29% | + 0.20% | 44 | −2 |
Swiss People's Party | 212,705 | 11.60% | +1.66% | 23 | +2 |
National Ring of Independents | 74,623 | 4.07% | −2.00% | 8th | −3 |
Liberal Party of Switzerland | 51,258 | 2.80% | + 0.33% | 8th | +2 |
Evangelical People's Party | 40,744 | 2.22% | + 0.25% | 3 | ± 0 |
Party of labor | 38,187 | 2.08% | −0.29% | 3 | −1 |
Progressive organizations in Switzerland | 31,128 | 1.70% | + 0.71% | 2 | +2 |
National action against foreign infiltration of people and homeland | 24,257 | 1.32% | −1.15% | 2 | ± 0 |
Green parties (VD, ZH) | 11'583 | 0.63% | +0.57% | 1 | +1 |
Entente Jurassienne (BE) 1 | 8,344 | 0.46% | + 0.46% | 1 | +1 |
Partito Socialista Autonomo (PSA) (TI) 2 | 8,147 | 0.44% | +0.09% | 1 | ± 0 |
List d'unité jurassienne et populaire (JU) 3 | 7,467 | 0.41% | 4 + 0.26% | 1 | +1 |
Revolutionary Marxist League | 7,138 | 0.39% | +0.02% | 0 | ± 0 |
Republican Movement | 7,128 | 0.39% | −2.28% | 0 | −3 |
Federal Democratic Union | 4,626 | 0.25% | −0.10% | 0 | ± 0 |
Vigilance (GE) | 4,460 | 0.24% | −0.05% | 1 | ± 0 |
Democratic Alternative (BE) | 3,236 | 0.18% | + 0.18% | 0 | ± 0 |
Hopp Schwiiz - Society for Less State (ZH) | 2,267 | 0.12% | + 0.12% | 0 | ± 0 |
Critical Upper Valais (VS) | 2,219 | 0.12% | + 0.12% | 0 | ± 0 |
Mouvement constitution et libertés (VD) 5 | 1,837 | 0.10% | + 0.10% | 0 | ± 0 |
Mouvement social indépendent (VS) 6 | 1'568 | 0.09% | +0.09% | 0 | ± 0 |
Social-Liberal Movement of European Federalists (ZH, BE, BS, AG, TG) | 1,296 | 0.07% | +0.07% | 0 | ± 0 |
Mouvement hors parti démocratie et progrès (VS) 7 | 1'236 | 0.07% | +0.07% | 0 | ± 0 |
Liberal Socialists (ZH) | 995 | 0.05% | −0.01% | 0 | ± 0 |
Citizens' list against the accumulation of offices (BE) 8 | 943 | 0.05% | + 0.05% | 0 | ± 0 |
Alternative démocratique (NE) 9 | 593 | 0.03% | +0.03% | 0 | ± 0 |
Alliance des conservateurs, radicaux et socialistes (VS) 10 | 360 | 0.02% | +0.02% | 0 | ± 0 |
Christians on the Gotthard (ZH) 11 | 222 | 0.01% | + 0.01% | 0 | ± 0 |
European Federalist Party (ZH) | 145 | 0.01% | −0.01% | 0 | ± 0 |
Isolated votes in single constituencies (AI, GL, NW, OW, UR) | 6,109 | 0.33% | + 0.27% | 0 | ± 0 |
Total | 1,833,191 | 100% | ± 0 | 200 | ± 0 |
Distribution of seats in the cantons
Source:
Canton | Total | SP 12 | FDP | CVP | SVP | LdU | LPS | PdA | EPP | POCH | N / A | Jurassic 13 | Green | PPE | Vig | REP | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aargau | 14th | 4th | 3 | 4th | +1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | −1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Appenzell Ausserrhoden 14 | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Appenzell Innerrhoden | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Basel-Country | 7th | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Basel city | 7th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | −1 | 1 | 1 | +1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Bern | 31 | 9 | −2 | 6th | 0 | −1 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +1 | |||||||||||||||||||
Freiburg | 6th | 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Geneva | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Glarus | 1 | 0 | −1 | 1 | +1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Grisons | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
law | 2 | 1 | +1 | 1 | +1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lucerne | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Neuchâtel | 5 | 2 | 1 | −1 | 2 | +1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nidwalden | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Obwalden | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Schaffhausen | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Schwyz | 3 | 0 | −1 | 1 | +1 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Solothurn | 7th | 2 | 3 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
St. Gallen | 12 | 2 | 3 | 6th | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ticino | 8th | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thurgau | 6th | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Uri | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vaud | 16 | 5 | 5 | 0 | −1 | 1 | 3 | +1 | 1 | −1 | 1 | +1 | |||||||||||||||||||
Valais | 7th | 1 | 2 | +1 | 4th | −1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
train | 2 | 0 | −1 | 1 | +1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Zurich | 35 | 10 | +1 | 9 | +2 | 3 | −1 | 5 | +1 | 4th | −2 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 1 | 0 | −2 | ||||||||||||||
Switzerland | 200 | 51 | −4 | 51 | +4 | 44 | −2 | 23 | +2 | 8th | −3 | 8th | +2 | 3 | −1 | 3 | ± 0 | 2 | +2 | 2 | ± 0 | 2 | +2 | 1 | +1 | 1 | ± 0 | 1 | ± 0 | 0 | −3 |
Results of the Council of States elections
Distribution of seats
The Council of States had 46 instead of 44 members for the first time due to the founding of the Canton of Jura.
Political party | Elections 1979 | Elections 1975 |
---|---|---|
CVP | 18th | 17th |
FDP | 11 | 15th |
SP | 9 | 5 |
SVP | 5 | 5 |
LPS | 3 | 1 |
LdU | 0 | 1 |
Elected Councilors of States
For the first time since the introduction of women's suffrage in 1971, three women were elected to the Council of States. Detailed results with votes from all candidates below
Canton | 1. Seat of the Council of States | 2. Seat of the Council of States |
---|---|---|
Aargau | Julius Binder , CVP (new) | Hans Letsch , FDP (new) |
Appenzell Ausserrhoden | Hans Ulrich Baumberger , FDP (previously) | only one seat |
Appenzell Innerrhoden | Carlo Schmid , CVP (new) | only one seat |
Basel-Country | Eduard Belser , SP (new) | only one seat |
Basel city | Carl Miville-Seiler , SP (new) | only one seat |
Bern | Peter Gerber , SVP (new) | Arthur Hänsenberger , FDP (new) |
Freiburg | Pierre Dreyer , CVP (previously) | Otto Piller , SP (new) |
Geneva | Monique Bauer-Lagier , LPS (new) | Willy Donzé , SP (previously) |
Glarus | Peter Hefti , FDP (previously) | Hans Meier , CVP (new) |
Grisons | Luregn Mathias Cavelty , CVP (new) | Leon Schlumpf , SVP (previously) |
law | Pierre Gassmann , SP (new) | Roger Schaffter , CVP (new) |
Lucerne | Alphons Egli , CVP (previously) | Peter Knüsel , FDP (previously) |
Neuchâtel | Jean-François Aubert , LPS (new) | René Meylan , SP (new) |
Nidwalden | Norbert Zumbühl , CVP (new) | only one seat |
Obwalden | Jost Dillier , CVP (previously) | only one seat |
Schaffhausen | Esther Bührer , SP (new) | Ernst Steiner , SVP (previously) |
Schwyz | Alois Dobler , CVP (previously) | Josef Ulrich , CVP (previously) |
Solothurn | Max Affolter , FDP (new) | Walter Weber , SP (previously) |
St. Gallen | Paul Bürgi , FDP (previously) | Jakob Schönenberger , CVP (new) |
Ticino | Luigi Generali , FDP (new) | Alberto Stefani , CVP (previously) |
Thurgau | Franco Matossi , SVP (new) | Hans Munz , FDP (previously) |
Uri | Leo Arnold , CVP (previously) | Franz Muheim , CVP (previously) |
Vaud | Edouard Debétaz , FDP (previously) | Hubert Reymond , LPS (new) |
Valais | Guy Genoud , CVP (previously) | Odilo Guntern , CVP (previously) |
train | Othmar Andermatt , FDP (previously) | Markus Kündig , CVP (new) |
Zurich | Emilie Lieberherr , SP (new) | Jakob Stucki , SVP (new) |
Parliamentary groups in the 41st legislative period
Political groups are associations of one or more parties. At least 5 mandates are required to form a parliamentary group. Only parliamentary groups have members in the commissions of the National Council or Council of States. Non-attached, however, do not have a seat in these commissions. The table below shows the status at the beginning of the legislative period.
fraction | total | National Council | Council of States |
---|---|---|---|
Christian Democratic Group | 62 | 44 | 18th |
Liberal Democratic Group | 62 | 51 | 11 |
Socialist Group | 60 | 15 51 | 9 |
Group of the Swiss People's Party | 28 | 23 | 5 |
Independent and Protestant parliamentary group | 11 | 11 | 0 |
Liberal Group | 11 | 8th | 3 |
Group of the PdA, PSA and POCH 16 | 7th | 7th | 0 |
without party affiliation | 5 | 5 | 0 |
Web links
- Federal Gazette of December 4, 1979 with the official final results
- International Parliamentary Union, results of elections 79 (English; PDF; 30 kB)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Number of candidacies by canton, note: sums are incorrect
- ↑ Christoph Werli: "More freedom - less state". In: NZZ . April 20, 2015, accessed November 25, 2016 .
- ^ Peter Blunschi: The case of the FDP: decline and resurrection of a "state party". In: watson . May 9, 2015, accessed November 25, 2016 .
- ↑ Markus Somm : More freedom, less state. In: Basler Zeitung . January 31, 2015, accessed November 25, 2016 .
- ↑ National Council elections: distribution of mandates by party and canton. Federal Statistical Office, December 1, 2015, accessed on May 28, 2017 .
- ^ Elections to the Council of States in the 41st legislative period
- ^ Parliamentary groups since 1912