IFES
 

Oct. 22, 2023 Held

Switzerland
Swiss Confederation
Election for Nationalrat/Conseil National/Consiglio Nazionale (Swiss National Council)

Results

Voter Participation


Cast Votes:2,604,931
Valid Votes:2,554,482
Invalid Votes:50,449
Voter
Turnout*

Vote Share by Party:

Party Seats Won Seats Change Votes

Swiss People's Party 62

27.93%

Social Democratic Party 41

18.27%

Centre Party (Die Mitte) 29

14.06%

FDP.The Liberals (FDP.Die Liberalen, PLR.Les Libéraux-Radicaux, PLR.I Liberali, PLD.Ils Liberals) 28

14.25%

Green Party of Switzerland (GPS) (Les Verts - Parti Ecologiste Suisse) 23

9.78%

Green Liberal Party of Switzerland (GLP) (Grünliberale Partei der Schweiz / Parti vert'libéral) 10

7.55%

Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland (EVP) (Parti Evangelique Suisse) 2

1.95%

Federal Democratic Union (EDU/UDF) (Eidgenössisch-Demokratische Union / Union Démocratique Fédérale / Unione Democratica Federale / Uniun democrata federala) 2

1.23%

Geneva Citizens' Movement (MCG) (Mouvement Citoyens Genevois) 2

0.51%

Ticino League (LEGA) (Lega dei Ticinesi / Ligue des Tessinois) 1

0.55%
Election Results Modified: Jan 05, 2024

General Information

At Stake in this Election: 

  • All 200 seats in the Swiss National Council 

The Council of States election will occur concurrently. 

Government Structure:  

  • Chief of State: President Alain BERSET (since 1 January 2023) 

  • Head of Government: President Alain BERSET (since 1 January 2023) 

  • Assembly: bicameral Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung) with a 46-seat Council of States (Ständerat) and a 200-seat National Council (Nationalrat) 

Electoral System:  

  • The President is elected from among the Federal Council by vote of the Federal Assembly. The President serves 1-year, non-consecutive terms. 

  • The Federal Council is indirectly elected by the Federal Assembly, and members serve 4-year terms. 

  • In the Council of States, 42 members are directly elected by absolute majority vote, and 4 members (from Jura and Neuchâtel cantons) are directly elected by list proportional representation vote. Member term lengths vary by constituency (canton). 

  • In the National Council, 194 members are directly elected by proportional representation vote, and 6 are directly elected by plurality vote. All members serve 4-year terms. 

Last Election: 

In 2019, the Swiss People’s Party won 53 seats on the National Council, followed by the Social Democratic Party (39 seats), and 9 other parties. Voter turnout was 45.10%. 

Key Deadlines: 

  • A Monday in August 2023 for cantons that use proportional representation systems (exact date varies by canton) 

  • 4 September 2023 for cantons that use plurality systems 

Main Parties in this Election: 

  • Swiss People’s Party / Schweizerische Volkspartei (SVP

  • Leader: Marco CHIESA 

  • Seats won in last election: 53 out of 200 

  • Social Democratic Party / Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz (SP

  • Leader: Mattea MEYER and Cédric WERMUTH 

  • Seats won in last election: 39 out of 200 

  • FDP.The Liberals / FDP.Die Liberalen (FDP

  • Leader: Thierry BURKART 

  • Seats won in last election: 29 out of 200 

  • Leader: Balthasar GLÄTTLI 

  • Seats won in last election: 28 out of 200 

  • Leader: Gerhard PFISTER 

  • Seats won in last election: 25 out of 200 (as the Christian Democratic People’s Party) 

  • Green Liberal Party of Switzerland / Grunliberale (GLP

  • Leader: Jürg GROSSEN 

  • Seats won in last election: 16 out of 200 

Population and Registered Voters: 

Gender Data: 

Disability Data: 

IFES Resources: 

  • Does IFES have a presence in Switzerland: No  

  • Election Access: Yes 

  • Election Judgements: Yes, 5 judgments and 13 resources 

Election Modified: Nov 14, 2023

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