Source: http://digest.electionguide.org/elections/id/320/
Timestamp: 2018-06-24 13:15:15
Document Index: 661535040

Matched Legal Cases: ['arty 55', 'arty 52', 'arty 36', 'arty 28', 'arty 13', 'arty 3', 'arty 4']

IFES Election Guide | Elections: Switzerland Parliamentary Oct 19 2003
Oct. 19, 2003 Held
Cast Votes:2,161,921
Valid Votes:2,124,040
Invalid Votes:22,972
Registered Voters:4,757,478
Swiss People's Party 55 - ▲ 561,817
Socialist Party 52 - 490,388
Radical Free Democratic Party 36 - 363,643
Christian Democratic People's Party 28 - 302,355
Green Party 13 - ▲ 155,511
Swiss Evangelical Popular Party 3 - 47,839
Liberal Party 4 - 45,864
200 seats in the National Council (Nationalrat / Conseil National / Consiglio Nazionale)
Chief of State: President of the Confederation Pascal COUCHEPIN
Head of Government: President of the Confederation Pascal COUCHEPIN
Assembly: Switzerland has a bicameral Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung / Assemblée Federale) consisting of the Council of States (Standerat, Conseil des Etats / Consiglio degli Stati) with 46 seats and the National Council (Nationalrat / Conseil National / Consiglio Nazionale) with 200 seats.
The President of the Confederation is appointed by the Federal Parliament to serve a 1-year term.
In the Council of States (Standerat/Conseil des Etats/ Consiglio degli Stati), 6 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 4-year terms and 40 members are elected by plurality vote in multi-member constituencies to serve 4-year terms*. In the National Council (Nationalrat/Conseil National/Consiglio Nazionale), 195 members are elected by open list proportional representation in multi-member constituencies to serve 4-year terms and 5 members are elected by a plurality system to serve 4-year terms.**
* Single-member districts correspond to the former half-cantons whereas two-seat districts correspond to former full cantons. The electoral system is a two round system, with exception of Jura and Neuchâtel, where it is proportional representation.
** Seats are apportioned to each canton in proportion to its population. Voters have the option of panachage. The electoral system is proportional representation.
Seats won in this National Council election: 55
Leader: Christiane BRUNNER
Seats won in this National Council election: 52
Party: Radical Free Democratic Party (FDP)
Leader: Christiane LANGENBERGER
Seats won in this National Council election: 36
Seats won in last National Council election: 42
Party: Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP)
Leader: Philipp STAEHELIN
Seats won in this National Council election: 28
Seats won in last National Council election: 35
Party: Liberal Party (LPS)
Leader: Claude RUEY
Seats won in this National Council election: N/A
Seats won in last National Council election: 6
Party: Swiss Evangelical Popular Party (EVP)
Seats won in this National Council election: 4
Party: Green Party (GPS)
Seats won in this National Council election: 13
Parliamentary elections were last held on October 24, 1999.
Population: 7,339,001 (2003)
· Female Population: 3,751,085 (2003)
· Population with a disability: 1,100,850 (est.)