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Switzerland's Political System
Switzerland's Political Parties
The following table shows the strenth of the parties in Switzerland
since the creation of the federal state in 1848. Numbers are given
in percent unless for the number of goverment members. Since
parliament elections take place every four years in autumn and the
government is elected by the newly constituted parliament in
December, new government members will take up office the year
following their election.
NC = National Council (big parliament chamber,
"house of representatives")
G = number of government members
| Party |
1919 | 1928 |
1943 | 1959 |
1971 | 1983 |
1999 |
2003 | Blocks |
| NC | G | NC | G |
NC | G | NC | G |
NC | G | NC | G |
NC | G | NC | G |
1971 | 2003 |
| Labor Party / Left Alternative |
0% | - |
1% | - |
0% | - |
1.5% | - |
2.5% | - |
0.5% | - |
1.5% | - |
2% | - |
25.5% |
34.5% |
| Progressive / Greens |
- | - |
- | - |
- | - |
- | - |
0% | - |
3% | - |
4.5% | - |
6.5% | - |
| Social Democratic Party |
22% | - |
25% | - |
29% | 1 |
26% | 2 |
23% | 2 |
23.5% | 2 |
25.5% | 2 |
26% | 2 |
Conservative Catholics /
Christian Democratic Party |
22% | 2 |
23% | 2 |
22% | 2 |
24% | 2 |
22% | 2 |
21% | 2 |
17.5% | 2 |
14% | 1 |
30% |
16% |
| Small moderate parties |
0.5% | - |
0.5% | - |
4% | - |
6% | - |
8% | - |
5.5% | - |
2.5% | - |
2% | - |
| Free Democratic Party |
33% | 5 |
29% | 4 |
24% | 3 |
26% | 2 |
24.5% | 2 |
27% | 2 |
21.5% | 2 |
18% | 2 |
27.5% |
20% |
| Liberal Party |
5.5% | - |
3% | - |
4% | - |
2.5% | - |
3% | - |
4% | - |
3% | - |
2% | - |
| Democratic Party |
4% | - |
2% | - |
3% | - |
2% | - |
1% | - |
11.5% | 1 |
22% | 1 |
27.5% | 2 |
17% |
29.5% |
Farmer's & Craftsmen's Party /
Swiss People's Party |
13% | - |
16% | 1 |
14% | 1 |
12% | 1 |
10.5% | 1 |
| Small nationalist parties |
1% | - |
0.5% | - |
0% | - |
0% | - |
5.5% | - |
4% | - |
2% | - |
2% | - |
| Total parties in government
| 55% | 7 |
68% | 7 |
89% | 7 |
88% | 7 |
80% | 7 |
83% | 7 |
85.5% | 7 |
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When in 1919 the national council was for the first time elected
according to the proportional representation system instead of the
majority election system, the Free Democrativ Party lost its overwhelming
majority and had to give a second government seat to the Conservative
Catholic Party to secure a parliamentary majority. In 1929, a time of
worldwide economic and political crisis, the Farmer's and Craftsmen's
Party was taken into the coalition. The small chamber of parliament
(representation of the cantons [federal states of Switzerland],
two members per canton) is completely dominated by the four parties in
government - there is rarely any seat at all for some other party.
The 1959 solution to have all big parties in government with government
seats attributed according to party strength is called "Zauberformel"
[magic formula]. This principle has not been changed in 2003, only the
Christian Democratic Party became the junior partner to the benefit of
the right-wing populist Swiss People's Party according to the number
of parliamentary seats.
What is the relevance of the 2003 elections - apart from the second
government seat for the right-wing Swiss People's Party? Some observers
talk of a "a politcal landslide to the right". Depending on
the point of view, this may seem correct or false - anyway it is only
half of the truth. Let's have a closer look of what has happened since
1971:
- The political left-wing block has gained 9% or one third. While
the Social Democrats could slightly improve, the Greens have
established themselves as a fifth major party.
- The center is eroding. Both Christian and Free Democrats are
loosing ground fast - and the small moderate and liberal parties
do so even more. The Independent's Party - in the 1950's and 1960's
the fifth party - has dissolved itself. The center has lost its
ability to determine things in parliament (36% instead of 57.5%).
- The populist Swiss People's Party is absorbing votes not only from
the center but as well from the extreme nationalists.
- There is a strong tendency towards more confrontation
and less willingness to (what used to have been
typically Swiss) compromise.
- When it comes to voting in parliament, the Social Democratic Party
and the Greens can hardly be distinguished, because they (have to)
unite against the bourgeois block
But there is one field the leftists disagree: European integration is
seen as a chance by the Social Democrats and as hazard to the environment
by the Greens. So their common positions in favor of multiculturalism
and for an open society might get less attention by some observers than
it deserves.
- Depending on the subject, anything is possible now - a middle left
coalition (50.5% or even 70.5% including the liberals), as well as
a bourgeois coalition (65.5%). As before, the electorate has the
final word thanks to the frequent referendums. And several important
referendum results of 2002 (UN membership - finally accepted) and
of 2004 (paid maternity leave accepted) show that chances for an
open and social society remain intact.
Interpretation
- The trend towards more confrontation and less compromise is partly
due to the fainting of external threat (only a minority of elderly
people can remember Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy wanting to
incorporate parts of Switzerland, and even the cold war is over).
- Partly the new trend to confrontation is also due to the new situation
of the electronic mass media: in the 1970's one
Swiss National Public Television program
competed with two German and two Austrian or three French or
three Italian programs programs per language region, today
you can choose between 50 programs on cable tv and some more via
individual satellite dishes. Quota driven radio and television stations
do press politicians to short and undifferenciated statements.
- People in rural catholic areas of central Switzerland and
individuals whose grandparents have migrated from there to the
industrialised (formerly protestant) cities do no longer think
in the political categories of the 19th century (moral conservatism
vs. liberalism), their political convictions reflect today's
problems: social security, environment, public services. So the
common religious-moral basis of the Christian Democratic Party
(90% catholic members/electorate) is eroding more and more.
Literature and links concerning Switzerland's Political System:
Homepages of Switzerland's major five political parties
Please note that these websites were designed for "internal"
Swiss use, therefore you will find German, French and Italian language
articles there.
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