1908 Swiss federal election
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Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 29 October 1908. The Free Democratic Party retained its majority in the National Council.[1]
Electoral system
The 167 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]
Results
Voter turnout was highest in Aargau at 83.1% (higher than the 80% in Schaffhausen, where voting was compulsory) and lowest in Zug at 16.1%.
 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
| Free Democratic Party | 202,732 | 50.91 | 105 | +1 | |
| Catholic People's Party | 81,733 | 20.52 | 34 | –1 | |
| Social Democratic Party | 70,003 | 17.58 | 7 | +5 | |
| Liberal Centre | 23,597 | 5.93 | 16 | –3 | |
| Democratic Group | 14,414 | 3.62 | 5 | –1 | |
| Others | 5,745 | 1.44 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 398,224 | 100.00 | 167 | 0 | |
| Valid votes | 398,224 | 93.32 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 28,528 | 6.68 | |||
| Total votes | 426,752 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 809,508 | 52.72 | |||
| Source: Mackie & Rose,[3] BFS (seats) | |||||
By constituency
| Constituency | Seats | Party | Seats won |
Elected members | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zürich 1 | 9 | Free Democratic Party | 8 |
| |
| Social Democratic Party | 1 | Herman Greulich | |||
| Zürich 2 | 5 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Jakob Abegg | |||
| Zürich 3 | 5 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Social Democratic Party | 1 | Friedrich Studer | |||
| Zürich 4 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Bern 5 | 5 | Free Democratic Party | 5 |
| |
| Bern 6 | 6 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Liberal Centre | 2 |
| |||
| Bern 7 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Bern 8 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Social Democratic Party | 1 | August Rikli | |||
| Bern 9 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Bern 10 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Bern 11 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Free Democratic Party | 1 | Henri Simonin | |||
| Lucerne 12 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Lucerne 13 | 2 | Catholic Right | 3 |
| |
| Lucerne 14 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Uri 15 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Gustav Muheim | |
| Schwyz 16 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Free Democratic Party | 1 | Kaspar Knobel | |||
| Obwalden 17 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Peter Anton Ming | |
| Nidwalden 18 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Karl Niederberger | |
| Glarus 19 | 2 | Democratic Group | 2 |
| |
| Zug 20 | 1 | Free Democratic Party | 1 | Klemens Iten | |
| Fribourg 21 | 2 | Free Democratic Party | 1 | Constant Dinichert | |
| Catholic Right | 1 | Louis de Diesbach | |||
| Fribourg 22 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Fribourg 23 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Solothurn 24 | 5 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Catholic Right | 1 | Franz Josef Hänggi | |||
| Basel-Stadt 25 | 6 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Liberal Centre | 2 |
| |||
| Social Democratic Party | 1 | Alfred Brüstlein | |||
| Basel-Landschaft 26 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 2 |
| |
| 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 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 2 |
| |
| Democratic Group | 1 | J. A. Scherrer-Füllemann | |||
| St. Gallen 31 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Social Democratic Party | 1 | Heinrich Scherrer | |||
| St. Gallen 32 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| St. Gallen 33 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| St. Gallen 34 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Grisons 35 | 5 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Alfred von Planta | |||
| Catholic Right | 1 | Johann Schmid | |||
| Aargau 36 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Aargau 37 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Aargau 38 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Jakob Nietlispach | |
| Aargau 39 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
| Free Democratic Party | 1 | Friedrich Brunner | |||
| Thurgau 40 | 6 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Democratic Group | 1 | Emil Hofmann | |||
| Catholic Right | 1 | Alfons von Streng | |||
| Ticino 41 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Social Democratic Party | 1 | Mario Ferri | |||
| Ticino 42 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 2 |
| |
| Catholic Right | 1 | Giuseppe Motta | |||
| Vaud 43 | 7 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Liberal Centre | 3 |
| |||
| Vaud 44 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
| Vaud 45 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
| Valais 46 | 4 | Catholic Right | 4 |
| |
| Valais 47 | 2 | Free Democratic Party | 1 | Eugène de Lavallaz | |
| Catholic Right | 1 | Maurice Pellissier | |||
| Neuchâtel 48 | 6 | Free Democratic Party | 5 |
| |
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Jules Calame | |||
| Geneva 49 | 7 | Liberal Centre | 4 |
| |
| Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |||
| Source: Gruner[4] | |||||
References
- ^ 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.
