# 1872 Swiss federal election

Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 27 October 1872. The Radical Left remained the largest group in the National Council.

## Electoral system

The 135 members of the National Council were elected in 48 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. For the first time the National Council was directly-elected in its entirety; in previous elections the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Glarus, Nidwalden, Obwalden and Uri had their National Council members elected by the Landsgemeinde. However, an electoral law passed in 1872 required secret voting for federal elections and a polling station to be opened in every municipality in order to avoid manipulation in the open Landsgemeinde. The electoral law also changed the calculation of a candidate's majority from including valid and invalid votes to only valid votes.
There was one seat for every 20,000 citizens, with seats allocated to cantons in proportion to their population. Following the 1869 elections the number of seats was increased from 128 to 137, with the members now elected from 48 constituencies, increased from 47. Bern gained two seats, whilst Fribourg, Neuchâtel, Solothurn, St Gallen and Zürich gained one each.

## Results
### National Council

Voter turnout was highest in the Canton of Uri at 91.3% (higher than the 75.2% who voted in Schaffhausen, where voting was compulsory) and lowest in Schwyz at 39.8%.
| | Radical Left | | 35.2 | 60 | +4 |
| | Liberal Centre | | 25.6 | 30 | +7 |
| | Catholic Right | | 21.1 | 27 | –4 |
| | Democratic Left | | 12.5 | 15 | 0 |
| | Evangelical Right | | 4.1 | 3 | 0 |
| | Independents | | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | | | 135 | +7 |
| Total votes | Total votes | 392,843 | – | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 632,901 | 62.07 | | |
| Source: BFS ||||||

#### By constituency

| Constituency | Seats | Party | Seats won | Elected members |
| Zürich 1 | 5 | Liberal Centre | 5 | Alfred Escher Johann Jakob Widmer Melchior Römer Heinrich Studer Wilhelm Hertenstein |
| Zürich 2 | 3 | Democratic Left | 2 | Johann Jakob Keller Walter Hauser |
| Zürich 2 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Heinrich Fierz |
| Zürich 3 | 3 | Democratic Left | 3 | Gottlieb Ziegler Hans Rudolf Zangger Salomon Bleuler |
| Zürich 4 | 3 | Democratic Left | 3 | Johann Jakob Scherer Jakob Fehr Friedrich Scheuchzer |
| Bern 5 | 5 | Radical Left | 5 | Carl Samuel Zyro Paul Cérésole Jakob Scherz Friedrich Seiler Wilhelm Teuscher |
| Bern 6 | 4 | Evangelical Right | 2 | Otto von Büren August von Gonzenbach |
| Bern 6 | 4 | Radical Left | 2 | Rudolf Brunner Friedrich von Werdt |
| Bern 7 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Karl Schenk Karl Karrer Gottlieb Riem Gottfried Joost |
| Bern 8 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Johann Bützberger Albert Friedrich Born Alexander Bucher Walther Munzinger |
| Bern 9 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | Eduard Marti Jakob Stämpfli Friedrich Eggli |
| Bern 10 | 5 | Radical Left | 5 | Pierre Jolissaint Niklaus Kaiser Paul Migy Auguste-Adolphe Klaye Hippolyte Paulet |
| Lucerne 11 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Josef Martin Knüsel Joseph Zingg |
| Lucerne 12 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Josef Zemp |
| Lucerne 13 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Vinzenz Fischer Jost Peyer |
| Lucerne 14 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Franz Xaver Beck Philipp Anton von Segesser |
| Uri 15 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Josef Arnold |
| Schwyz 16 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Fridolin Holdener Johann Michael Stählin |
| Obwalden 17 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Alois Reinert |
| Nidwalden 18 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Walter Zelger |
| Glarus 19 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Joachim Heer |
| Glarus 19 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Niklaus Tschudi |
| Zug 20 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Alois Schwerzmann |
| Fribourg 21 | 3 | Catholic Right | 3 | Laurent Chaney Louis de Weck Karl Vissaula |
| Fribourg 22 | 3 | Catholic Right | 3 | Joseph Jaquet Louis Grand Louis de Wuilleret |
| Solothurn 23 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Benedikt von Arx Josef Bläsi Simon Kaiser Albert Brosi |
| Basel-Stadt 24 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Wilhelm Klein |
| Basel-Stadt 24 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Jakob Stehlin |
| Basel-Landschaft 25 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | Emanuel Löw Jakob Bernhard Graf |
| Basel-Landschaft 25 | 3 | Democratic Left | 1 | Emil Frey |
| Schaffhausen 26 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Friedrich Peyer im Hof |
| Schaffhausen 26 | 2 | Democratic Left | 1 | Wilhelm Joos |
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden 27 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Adolf Friedrich Zürcher |
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden 27 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Johannes Hohl |
| Appenzell Innerhoden 28 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Alois Broger |
| St. Gallen 29 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Arnold Otto Aepli Daniel Wirth-Sand |
| St. Gallen 29 | 4 | Democratic Left | 2 | Johann Ulrich Hafner Gustav Adolf Saxer |
| St. Gallen 30 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | Johannes Geel Johann Baptist Gaudy |
| St. Gallen 30 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Rudolf Hilty |
| St. Gallen 31 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Georg Friedrich Anderegg |
| St. Gallen 31 | 3 | Catholic Right | 1 | Johann Fridolin Müller |
| St. Gallen 31 | 3 | Radical Left | 1 | Johann M. Hungerbühler |
| Grisons 32 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Simeon Bavier |
| Grisons 32 | 2 | Evangelical Right | 1 | Hermann Jakob von Sprecher |
| Grisons 33 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Anton Casparis Sr. |
| Grisons 33 | 2 | Catholic Right | 1 | Johann R. von Toggenburg |
| Grisons 34 | 1 | Radical Left | 1 | Johann Albert Romedi |
| Aargau 35 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Carl Feer-Herzog Emil Welti |
| Aargau 35 | 3 | Radical Left | 1 | Arnold Künzli |
| Aargau 36 | 4 | Radical Left | 3 | Peter Suter Theodor Haller Plazid Weissenbach |
| Aargau 36 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Hans Weber |
| Aargau 37 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 | Arnold Münch Karl von Schmid |
| Aargau 37 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | K. F. S. Fahrländer |
| Thurgau 38 | 5 | Democratic Left | 4 | Adolf Deucher Fridolin Anderwert Jakob Albert Scherb Severin Stoffel |
| Thurgau 38 | 5 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Messmer |
| Ticino 39 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | Carlo Battaglini Costantino Bernasconi |
| Ticino 39 | 3 | Catholic Right | 1 | Massimiliano Magatti |
| Ticino 40 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 | Michele Pedrazzini Carlo Vonmentlen |
| Ticino 40 | 3 | Radical Left | 1 | Giovanni Jauch |
| Vaud 41 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Charles Cossy Jakob Dubs |
| Vaud 41 | 4 | Radical Left | 2 | Louis Ruchonnet Jules Eytel |
| Vaud 42 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 2 | Jean-Louis Demiéville Pierre-Isaac Joly |
| Vaud 42 | 4 | Radical Left | 2 | Georges-Louis Contesse Paul Wulliémoz |
| Vaud 43 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | Louis-Henri Delarageaz Henri Reymond Charles Baud |
| Valais 44 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | Hans Anton von Roten Ignaz Zenruffinen |
| Valais 45 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Maurice Evéquoz |
| Valais 46 | 2 | Catholic Right | 1 | Louis Gross |
| Valais 46 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Louis Barman |
| Neuchâtel 47 | 5 | Radical Left | 5 | Jules Philippin Zélim Perret Édouard Desor Fritz Berthoud Louis Constant Lambelet |
| Geneva 48 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | Antoine Carteret Jean-Jacques Challet-Venel Gustave-Jules Pictet Moïse Vautier |
| Source: Gruner ||||||

#### Election re-runs

| Constituency | Seats | Date of re-run | Party | Seats won | Elected members |
| Ticino 40 | 3 | 6 April 1873 | Catholic Right | 2 | Michele Pedrazzini Carlo Vonmentlen |
| Ticino 40 | 3 | 6 April 1873 | Radical Left | 1 | Giovanni Jauch |
| Ticino 39 | 3 | 19 October 1873 (first round) 2 November 1873 (second round) | Radical Left | 2 | Carlo Battaglini Emilio Censi |
| Ticino 39 | 3 | 19 October 1873 (first round) 2 November 1873 (second round) | Catholic Right | 1 | Massimiliano Magatti |
| Ticino 40 | 3 | 19 October 1873 (first round) 2 November 1873 (second round) | Catholic Right | 3 | Michele Pedrazzini Carlo Vonmentlen Agostino Gatti |
| Source: Gruner |||||||

### Council of States

| Party | Party | Seats | +/– |
| | Catholic Right | 15 | +1 |
| | Liberal Centre | 10 | –2 |
| | Radical Left | 11 | 0 |
| | Democratic Left | 3 | –1 |
| | Evangelical Right | 0 | 0 |
| | Independents | 4 | +1 |
| Vacant | Vacant | 1 | +1 |
| Total | Total | 44 | 0 |
| Source: The Federal Assembly ||||