2015 Swiss federal election
Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 18 October 2015 for the National Council and the first round of elections to the Council of States, with runoff elections to the Council of States being held in various cantons until 22 November.[1][2]
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All 200 seats in the National Council (101 seats needed for a majority) All 46 seats in the Council of States (24 seats needed for a majority) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 48.4% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Map of Swiss cantons shaded by the party that won the most votes in elections to the National Council ■ – SVP/UDC
■ – CVP/PDC
■ – FDP/PLR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Results showed a shift, due to voter concerns regarding refugee immigration, to the right and increased support for the three largest parties, with the strong showing of Swiss People's Party and FDP.The Liberals possibly affecting future reforms of energy, social security and tax issues, as well as the make-up of the seven-member government.[3][4][5]
The Swiss People's Party won a record number of seats, taking a third of the 200-seat lower house. The SVP received the highest proportion of votes of any Swiss political party since 1919, when proportional representation was first introduced,[6] and it received more seats in the National Council than any other political party since 1963, when the number of seats was set at 200.[7]
The federal election was followed by the 2015 Swiss Federal Council election on 9 December 2015, where the SVP won a second seat on the Federal Council.[8]
Electoral system
The 200 members of the National Council were elected by plurality in six single-member constituencies, and by proportional representation in 20 multi-member constituencies, with the 26 constituencies being the 26 cantons.[9] The elections were held using the open list system where voters could cross out names on party lists, with voters also able to split their vote between parties (a system known as panachage) or draw up their own list on a blank ballot. Seats are allocated using the Hagenbach-Bischoff system.[10]
The 46 members of the Council of States were elected in 20 two-seat constituencies (representing the 20 full cantons) and six single-member constituencies (representing the six half-cantons). In Jura and Neuchâtel the elections were held using proportional representation, whilst the other 24 use the majority system.[11]
Compulsory voting was in force in the canton of Schaffhausen for both elections.[12]
Campaign
The parties contesting the elections were:
| Political party | Leader | Political spectrum |
|---|---|---|
| Swiss People's Party (SVP) | Toni Brunner | Right-wing |
| Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (SP) | Christian Levrat | Centre-left to left-wing |
| FDP.The Liberals (FDP) | Philipp Müller | Centre-right |
| Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland (CVP/PDC) | Christophe Darbellay | Centre to centre-right |
| Green Party of Switzerland (GPS) | Adèle Thorens, Regula Rytz | Left-wing |
| Green Liberal Party of Switzerland (glp) | Martin Bäumle | Centre |
| Conservative Democratic Party of Switzerland (BDP) | Martin Landolt | Centre to centre-right |
| Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland (EVP) | Marianne Streiff | Centre |
| Ticino League (TL) | Attilio Bignasca | Right-wing |
| Alternative Left (AL) | Frédéric Charpié | Left-wing |
| Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland (EDU) | Hans Moser | Right-wing |
| Christian Social Party (Switzerland) (CSP) | Marius Achermann | Centre-left |
| Geneva Citizens' Movement (MCG) | Roger Golay | Right-wing |
Opinion polls
| Date | Institution | SVP | SPS | FDP | CVP | GPS | BDP | GLP | EVP | AL | EDU | LEGA | CSP | MCG | Other | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 October 2015 | 2015 Elections | 29.4% | 18.8% | 16.4% | 11.6% | 7.1% | 4.1% | 4.6% | 1.9% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.0% | 0.2% | 0.3% | – | 10.6% |
| 2 October 2015 | Sotomo/20min | 29.0% | 18.4% | 15.8% | 11.4% | 7.4% | 4.9% | 5.2% | – | – | – | – | – | – | 7.9% | 10.6% |
| 16 September 2015 | Sotomo/20min | 29.0% | 17.6% | 16.8% | 11.2% | 6.9% | 4.9% | 5.1% | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 11.4% |
| 21–28 August 15 | GfS Berne/SSR | 28.0% | 19.3% | 16.9% | 11.1% | 7.4% | 4.2% | 4.3% | 1.7% | – | – | – | – | – | 7.1% | 8.7% |
| 24 June 2015 | 20min/Somoto | 27.6% | 18.2% | 16.4% | 12.0% | 6.8% | 4.9% | 5.0% | – | – | – | – | – | – | 13.0% | 9.4% |
| 24 June 2015 | GfS Berne/SSR | 26.1% | 19.3% | 17.1% | 11.5% | 7.4% | 4.4% | 4.8% | 1.9% | – | 1.1% | 0.9% | – | – | 5.5% | 6.8% |
| 31 March 2015 | GfS Berne/SSR | 26.2% | 19.6% | 16.3% | 11.8% | 7.5% | 4.6% | 5.6% | 1.9% | – | 1.0% | 0.8% | – | – | 4.7% | 6.5% |
| 21 December 2014 | Léger Marketing/Le Matin | 23.8% | 19.8% | 15.7% | 12.4% | 8.2% | 7.2% | 7.4% | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6.0% |
| 3 October 2014 | GfS Berne/Le Temps | 24.6% | 20.1% | 15.8% | 11.2% | 7.3% | 4.8% | 7.3% | 1.8% | – | 1.4% | 1% | – | – | 4.7% | 4.5% |
| 30 March 2014 | Léger Marketing/Le Matin | 25% | 19.4% | 15.2% | 12.2% | 7.4% | 6.9% | 6.6% | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 5.6% |
| 27 September 2013 | GfS Berne/SSR | 25.8% | 18.7% | 14.7% | 11.7% | 8.3% | 7.5% | 5.8% | 1.8% | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.0% | – | – | 2.5% | 7.1% |
| 15 September 2013 | Isopublic/Le Matin | 24.3% | 19.6% | 14.1% | 13.1% | 7.3% | 6.1% | 6.6% | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4.7% |
| 21 October 2012 | Isopublic/Blick | 23.7% | 19.5% | 15.9% | 12.9% | 8.2% | 6.9% | 7.0% | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4.2% |
| 16 September 2012 | Isopublic/Le Matin | 23.9% | 19.3% | 16.3% | 13% | 8.2% | 6.2% | 7.7% | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4.6% |
| 25 March 2012 | Isopublic/Le Matin | 23.7% | 19.9% | 15.8% | 12.1% | 8.2% | 7.0% | 7.5% | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3.8% |
| 23 October 2011 | 2011 Elections | 26.6% | 18.7% | 15.1% | 12.3% | 8.4% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 2% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 0.8% | 0.3% | 0.4% | – | 7.9% |
Results
Global media commented on the gains of the Swiss People's Party, linking it to concerns of the electorate on the European migrant crisis.[7][13][14][15] Combined together, right-of-centre parties received a slim 101-seat majority in the National Council.[5][6] While the right-of-centre SVP and FDP made gains, centrist and left-of-centre parties lost seats in the National Council.[16][17] The FDP increased its share of the popular vote for the first time since the 1979 federal election.[17]
In the Swiss capital Bern, a group of activists in favour of settling refugees held a demonstration on the day of the election, which is prohibited by law. A total of 110 were arrested.[18]
The election results elicited various responses from the Swiss media, such as that the election represented "a return to normality" after a period when the legislative makeup was not as clear, or that it represented "a divided country."[19][20] Newspapers, both in Switzerland and in other countries, also noted the SVP's historic gains.[20]
National Council
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| Party | Votes | % | +/– | Seats | % | +/– | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swiss People's Party | 740,967 | 29.4 | +2.8 | 65 | 32.5 | +11 | ||||||||
| Social Democratic Party | 475,071 | 18.8 | +0.1 | 43 | 21.5 | −3 | ||||||||
| FDP.The Liberals | 413,444 | 16.4 | +1.3 | 33 | 16.5 | +3 | ||||||||
| Christian Democratic People's Party | 293,653 | 11.6 | −0.7 | 27 | 13.5 | −1 | ||||||||
| Green Party | 177,944 | 7.1 | −1.3 | 11 | 5.5 | −4 | ||||||||
| Green Liberal Party | 116,641 | 4.6 | −0.8 | 7 | 3.5 | −5 | ||||||||
| Conservative Democratic Party | 103,476 | 4.1 | −1.3 | 7 | 3.5 | −2 | ||||||||
| Evangelical People's Party | 47,355 | 1.9 | −0.1 | 2 | 1.0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Federal Democratic Union | 29,701 | 1.2 | −0.1 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||
| Alternative Left | 1.2 | +0.3 | 0 | – | 0 | |||||||||
| Ticino League | 24,713 | 1.0 | +0.2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0 | ||||||||
| Solidarity | 0.5 | +0.2 | 0 | – | 0 | |||||||||
| Swiss Party of Labour | 0.4 | –0.1 | 1 | 0.5 | +1 | |||||||||
| Geneva Citizens' Movement | 8,069 | 0.3 | −0.1 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | ||||||||
| Christian Social Party | 5,207 | 0.2 | −0.1 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||
| Swiss Democrats | 3,052 | 0.1 | –0.1 | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||
| Others | 2.4 | +0.2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | |||||||||
| Total | 2,521,502 | 100 | 0 | 200 | 100 | 0 | ||||||||
| Registered voters/turnout | 5,295,506 | 48.4 | – | – | – | – | ||||||||
| Source: Statistics Switzerland, Elections 2015, IFES | ||||||||||||||
Council of States
_Nov_2015.svg.png.webp) | ||||||||||||||
| Party | Seats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2015 | +/– | ||||||||||||
| Christian Democratic People's Party | 13 | 13 | 0 | |||||||||||
| FDP.The Liberals | 11 | 13 | +2 | |||||||||||
| Social Democratic Party | 11 | 12 | +1 | |||||||||||
| Swiss People's Party | 5 | 5 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Green Party | 2 | 1 | −1 | |||||||||||
| Conservative Democratic Party | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Green Liberal Party | 2 | 0 | −2 | |||||||||||
| Independent | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Total | 46 | 46 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Source: Statistics Switzerland | ||||||||||||||
Aftermath
The 2015 federal election was followed by the 2015 Swiss Federal Council election on 9 December 2015.[8]
Due to the results of the federal election, Federal Councillor Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, a member of the Conservative Democratic Party (BDP), announced she would not run for re-election, as the Swiss People's Party (SVP) won a record percentage of the vote, while her own party decreased its share.[21] The SVP was widely expected to fill her seat in the election, and it chose Thomas Aeschi (Zug), Guy Parmelin (Vaud) and Norman Gobbi (Ticino) as candidates for the seat, with Aeschi being the favorite at the time.[22][23]
Guy Parmelin, of the SVP, was ultimately elected on 9 December.[8] Parmelin, a farmer and winegrower from Bursins in canton Vaud, was the first member of the Federal Council who is also a member of the Swiss People's Party from the French-speaking part of Switzerland.[8][24]
There was a minor cabinet reshuffle after the election, as newly elected Parmelin was selected to become head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports, replacing fellow SVP-member Ueli Maurer, who became head of the Federal Department of Finance.[25] The SVP gained its second seat in the Federal Council, which it had lost in 2008, when the newly created BDP split from the SVP.
References
- "Parties Manoeuvre for Seats in Swiss Senate". The Local. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- "Final Composition of Swiss Parliament Emerges". Swissinfo. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- "Homepage Elections 2015". Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- Duc-Nguyen, Quang (22 October 2015). "Parliament's Shift to the Right, in Figures". Swissinfo. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- Geiser, Urs. "Parliament shifts to the right". Swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- Gerber, Marlène; Mueller, Sean (23 October 2015). "4 Cool Graphs that Explain Sunday's Swiss Elections". The Washington Post. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- "Anti-immigration party wins Swiss election in 'slide to the Right'". The Daily Telegraph. Reuters. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- Mombelli, Armando (December 10, 2015). "People's Party Gains Second Seat in Cabinet". Swissinfo. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
- Swiss Confederation seat allocations are for the 2019 election, but the page also provides the seat changes from the 2015 election
- Electoral system IPU
- Electoral system IPU
- Compulsory voting around the world Archived 2015-04-04 at the Wayback Machine. The Electoral Commission
- "Anti-immigration SVP wins Swiss election in big swing to right". BBC News. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- Larson, Nina (19 October 2015). "Swiss parliament shifts to right in vote dominated by migrant fears". Yahoo!. AFP. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- "Amid rising fears over refugees, far-right party gains ground in Swiss election". Deutsche Welle. 19 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- Revill, John (October 19, 2015). "Swiss Right Makes Gains in Election". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
- "Nationalratswahlen 2015: Analyse". bfs.admin.ch (in German). Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- "Polizei nimmt 110 Personen auf die Wache" [Police take 110 people to the police station]. Blick (in German). 18 October 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- "Swiss National Elections: 'Return to Normality'?". The Local. October 19, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
- Stephens, Thomas (October 19, 2016). "Fear and Isolation in a 'Divided Land'". Swissinfo. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- Jaberg, Samuel; Stephens, Thomas (October 28, 2015). "Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf to Stand Down". Swissinfo. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- "People's Party Posts Candidates for Cabinet Seat". Swissinfo. November 20, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- "People's Party Tightens Grip on Second Cabinet Seat". Swissinfo. October 28, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- Bradley, Simon (December 10, 2015). "Wary Press Split Over Farmer Parmelin". Swissinfo. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- "People's Party finally nails finance minister job". Swissinfo. December 11, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
External links
Media related to Swiss federal election 2015 at Wikimedia Commons- "Elections 2015 - In Depth". Swissinfo. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
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