Swiss parliamentary elections 1979

← 1975General election of
the National Council in 19791983 →

Turnout: 48.0%

 %

30th

20th

10

0

24.44

24.01

21.29

11.60

4.07

2.80

2.22

2.08

1.70

5.79

SP

FDP

CVP

SVP

LdU

LPS

EPP

PdA

POCH

Otherwise.

Gains and losses

compared to 1975

 % p

   2

   0

  -2

  -4

-0.43

+1.80

+0.20

+1.66

-2.00

+0.35

+0.25

-0.29

+0.71

-2.24

SP

FDP

CVP

SVP

LdU

LPS

EPP

PdA

POCH

Otherwise.

Bundeshaus in Bern:
seat of the Swiss parliament

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:

3

2

1

52

1

8th

3

1

44

51

8th

23

1

2

3 2 1 52 1 8th 3 1 44 51 8th 23 1 2 

A total of 200 seats

• PdA : 3
• POCH : 2
• PPE : 1
• SP (including EJ): 52
• GPS : 1
• LdU : 8
• EVP : 3
• CSP : 1
• CVP : 44
• FDP : 51
• LPS : 8
• SVP : 23
• Vig : 1
• NA : 2

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

¹Joint list of pro-Jurassic Socialists, Liberals and Christian Democrats. The socialist Jean-Claude Crevoisier was elected .

² in German: Independent Socialist Party

³in German: People's list for a united Jura. Was elected Gabriel Roy from the PCSI .

^4th Compare with the 1975 PCSI share of the vote

⁵ in German: Movement for Constitution and Freedoms

^6th in German: Independent social movement

^7th in German: non-party movement for democracy and progress

^8th Full name: Citizens list against the accumulation of offices and for a free, democratic constitutional state

⁹ in German: Democratic alternative

¹⁰ in German: Alliance of Conservatives, Liberals and Socialists

¹¹ Full name: Christians on Gotthard for the BV draft, banknote issuance by the federal government, army reform and environmental protection

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

¹² without National Councilor Crevoisier from the pro-Jurassic SP (Canton of Bern)

¹³BE: Projurassic SP , JU: Independent CSP

^14th silent choice

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.

9

18th

11

3

5

9 18th 11 3 5 

A total of 46 seats

• SP : 9
• CVP : 18
• FDP : 11
• LPS : 3
• SVP : 5

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

^15th without the pro-Jurassic National Councilor Crevoisier

¹⁶National Councilor Crevoisier from the pro-Jurassic SP also joined the PdA / PSA / POCH parliamentary group.

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

1. ↑ Number of candidacies by canton, note: sums are incorrect
2. ↑ Christoph Werli: "More freedom - less state". In: NZZ . April 20, 2015, accessed November 25, 2016 . 
3. ^ Peter Blunschi: The case of the FDP: decline and resurrection of a "state party". In: watson . May 9, 2015, accessed November 25, 2016 . 
4. ↑ Markus Somm : More freedom, less state. In: Basler Zeitung . January 31, 2015, accessed November 25, 2016 . 
5. ↑ National Council elections: distribution of mandates by party and canton. Federal Statistical Office, December 1, 2015, accessed on May 28, 2017 . 
6. ^ Elections to the Council of States in the 41st legislative period
7. ^ Parliamentary groups since 1912