1896 Swiss federal election
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Wahlkreise_1890-1899.png/220px-Wahlkreise_1890-1899.png)
Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 25 October 1896. The Free Democratic Party retained its majority in the National Council.[1]
Electoral system
The 147 members of the National Council were elected in 52 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 Nidwalden at 90.3% (higher than the 89.3% in Schaffhausen where voting was compulsory) and lowest in Obwalden at 21.4%.
![]() | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
Free Democratic Party | 181,028 | 48.73 | 86 | +12 | |
Catholic People's Party | 85,484 | 23.01 | 30 | +1 | |
Liberal Centre | 54,012 | 14.54 | 23 | –4 | |
Democratic Group | 19,946 | 5.37 | 7 | –9 | |
Social Democratic Party | 25,304 | 6.81 | 1 | 0 | |
Others | 5,750 | 1.55 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 371,524 | 100.00 | 147 | 0 | |
Valid votes | 371,524 | 93.29 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 26,701 | 6.71 | |||
Total votes | 398,225 | 100.00 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 713,367 | 55.82 | |||
Source: Mackie & Rose,[3] BFS (seats) |
By constituency
Constituency | Seats | Party | Seats won | Elected members | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Zürich 1 | 6 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
Liberal Centre | 2 |
| |||
Democratic Group | 1 | Jakob Vogelsanger | |||
Zürich 2 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 3 |
| |
Free Democratic Party | 1 | Heinrich Hess | |||
Zürich 3 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
Democratic Group | 1 | Albert Kündig | |||
Zürich 4 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 2 |
| |
Liberal Centre | 1 | Heinrich Steinemann | |||
Bern 5 | 5 | Free Democratic Party | 5 |
| |
Bern 6 | 5 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
Evangelical Right | 1 | Edmund von Steiger | |||
Bern 7 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
Bern 8 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
Bern 9 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
Bern 10 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
Bern 11 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
Lucerne 12 | 2 | Free Democratic Party | 2 |
| |
Lucerne 13 | 3 | Catholic Right | 3 |
| |
Lucerne 14 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
Uri 15 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Franz Schmid | |
Schwyz 16 | 3 | Catholic Right | 3 |
| |
Obwalden 17 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Peter Anton Ming | |
Nidwalden 18 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Karl Niederberger | |
Glarus 19 | 2 | Democratic Group | 1 | Kaspar Schindler | |
Free Democratic Party | 1 | Rudolf Gallati | |||
Zug 20 | 1 | Free Democratic Party | 1 | Klemens Iten | |
Fribourg 21 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Henri Schaller | |
Free Democratic Party | 1 | Constant Dinichert | |||
Fribourg 22 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
Fribourg 23 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
Solothurn 24 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
Catholic Right | 1 | Joseph Anton Glutz | |||
Basel-Stadt 25 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 2 |
| |
Liberal Centre | 1 | Isaak Iselin-Sarasin | |||
Social Democratic Party | 1 | Eugen Wullschleger | |||
Basel-Landschaft 26 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 2 |
| |
Bauern- und Arbeiterbund | 1 | Walter Meyer | |||
Schaffhausen 27 | 2 | Free Democratic Party | 2 |
| |
Appenzell Ausserrhoden 28 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
Appenzell Innerhoden 29 | 1 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Karl Justin Sonderegger | |
St. Gallen 30 | 2 | Democratic Group | 1 | J. A. Scherrer-Füllemann | |
Free Democratic Party | 1 | Karl Emil Wild | |||
St. Gallen 31 | 2 | Catholic Right | 1 | Johann Gebhard Lutz | |
Liberal Centre | 1 | Christoph Tobler | |||
St. Gallen 32 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
St. Gallen 33 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 2 |
| |
Democratic Group | 1 | Carl Theodor Curti | |||
St. Gallen 34 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
Grisons 35 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Peter Theophil Bühler | |
Democratic Group | 1 | Matthäus Risch | |||
Grisons 36 | 2 | Catholic Right | 1 | Caspar Decurtins | |
Liberal Centre | 1 | Alfred von Planta | |||
Grisons 37 | 1 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Thomas von Albertini | |
Aargau 38 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
Aargau 39 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
Aargau 40 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Jakob Nietlispach | |
Aargau 41 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 2 |
| |
Free Democratic Party | 1 | Josef Jäger | |||
Thurgau 42 | 5 | Liberal Centre | 3 |
| |
Free Democratic Party | 2 |
| |||
Ticino 43 | 2 | Free Democratic Party | 2 |
| |
Ticino 44 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
Vaud 45 | 5 | Free Democratic Party | 3 |
| |
Liberal Centre | 2 |
| |||
Vaud 46 | 4 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
Vaud 47 | 3 | Free Democratic Party | 2 |
| |
Liberal Centre | 1 | Louis-Charles Delarageaz | |||
Valais 48 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 |
| |
Valais 49 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Joseph Kuntschen Sr. | |
Valais 50 | 2 | Catholic Right | 1 | Henri Bioley | |
Free Democratic Party | 1 | Émile Gaillard | |||
Neuchâtel 51 | 5 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
Liberal Centre | 1 | Jules Calame | |||
Geneva 52 | 5 | Free Democratic Party | 4 |
| |
Liberal Centre | 1 | Gustave Ador | |||
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.