Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 22 October 2023 to elect all members of the National Council and Council of States. The elections were followed by elections to the Federal Council, Switzerland's government and collegial presidency, on 13 December.
The Swiss People's Party (SVP), which campaigned against migration, performed strongly, while the Green and Green Liberal parties saw their vote share decline.
Timeline The election timeline is: Mid-October 2022: Official information to the cantons and parties 31 December 2022: Deadline for party registration 1 March 2023: Publication of the candidacy deadlines for the National Council 30 April: Landsgemeinde in Appenzell-Innerrhoden (Council of States election in the canton) 1 May: Update of the party register August: Candidacy deadline for the National Council in the cantons using proportional representation September: Delivery of the electoral guide to the cantons 4 September: Candidacy deadline for the cantons using majoritarian vote with possibility of walkover Late September: Delivery of the voting material 22 October: Election day (National Council & 1st round for the Council of States) Late October: Publication of the official results 12 November: Eventual runoffs for the Council of States in six cantons representing 12 seats (FR, GE, GR, TG, VD, VS) 19 November: Eventual runoffs for the Council of States in ten cantons representing 19 seats (AG, BE, BL, GL, SG, SH, SO, TI, ZG, ZH) 26 November: Eventual runoffs for the Council of States in six cantons representing 9 seats (AR, BS, LU, NW, SZ, UR) 4 December: Opening of the new National Council and oath-taking 13 December: Election of the Federal Council
Electoral system National Council The 200 members of the National Council are elected from the 26 cantons, each of which constitutes a constituency. In all multi-member cantons open-list proportional representation is used; with apparentments for allied parties and sub-apparentments for lists within parties, where apparented lists are initially counted together for seats allocation. Seats are allocated using the Hagenbach-Bischoff system with no threshold. Voters may cross out names on party lists or write names twice, split their vote between parties (a system known as panachage), or draw up their own list on a blank ballot. The six single-member cantons use first-past-the-post voting.
Seats in the National Council are apportioned to the cantons based on their respective population size (which includes children and resident foreigners who do not have the right to vote). Based on the official population count recorded at the end of 2020, Basel-Stadt lost a seat while Zürich gained one. Zürich is the canton with the most seats (36).
The rules regarding who can stand as a candidate and vote in elections to the National Council are uniform across the Confederation. Only Swiss citizens aged at least 18 can stand or vote and the citizens resident abroad can register to vote in the canton in which they last resided (or their canton of citizenship, otherwise) and be able to vote no matter how long since, or whether they ever have, lived in Switzerland.
+ Apportionment of National Council seats by canton in 2023 Canton Population Seats Pop. by seat 36 24 ±0 9 ±0 1 ±0 4 ±0 1 ±0 1 ±0 1 ±0 3 ±0 7 ±0 6 ±0 4 7 ±0 2 ±0 1 ±0 1 ±0 12 ±0 5 ±0 16 ±0 6 ±0 8 ±0 19 ±0 8 ±0 4 ±0 12 ±0 2 ±0 200 ±0
Council of States The 46 members of the Council of States are elected in 20 two-seat constituencies (representing the 20 'full' cantons) and six single-member constituencies (representing the six half-cantons). Two 'full' cantons with small populations – Uri and Glarus – each have two seats in the Council of States but only one seat each in the much larger National Council.
Elections to the Council of States are regulated by the cantons. The cantons of Jura and Neuchâtel use proportional representation, while all the others use a majoritarian system, often with two rounds of voting. In the first round voters typically have up to two votes and candidates need an overall majority to be elected; if seats remain to be filled a runoff is held using simple plurality. All cantons, except Appenzell-Innerrhoden, which elects its state councilor during the Landsgemeinde in April, hold the first round concurrently with the National Council election, but the dates for the runoffs vary.
As each canton regulates its election to the Council of States, the rules regarding who can stand as a candidate and vote in these elections vary canton by canton. Jura and Neuchâtel allow certain foreign residents to vote, whilst Glarus allows 16- and 17-year-olds to vote. Swiss citizens abroad registered to vote in a canton are permitted to vote in that canton's Council of States election only if the canton's law allows it. Only Schaffhausen has compulsory voting, though limited in implementation by way of only an insignificant fine. +Apportionment of Council of States seats by cantonSeatsCantonsCantons with 2 seatsZürich, Bern, Lucerne, Uri, Schwyz, Glaris, Zug, Fribourg, Solothurn, Schaffhausen, St. Gallen, Grisons, Aargau, Thurgau, Ticino, Vaud, Valais, Neuchâtel, Geneva, JuraCantons with 1 seat ('half-cantons')Obwalden, Nidwalden, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden
Contesting parties The table below lists contesting parties represented in the Federal Assembly before the election. Name Political group Ideology Leader(s) 2019 result Votes (%) National Council Council of States SVP / UDC Swiss People's Party Swiss People's Party group (V) National conservatismRight-wing populism Marco Chiesa 25.6% SP / PS Social Democratic Party Social Democratic group (S) Social democracyDemocratic socialism Mattea Meyer & Cédric Wermuth 16.8% FDP / PLR FDP.The Liberals FDP-Liberal group (RL) Thierry Burkart 15.1% DM / LC / AdC The Centre The Centre group (M-E)[The Centre group https://www.parlament.ch/en/organe/groups/group-m-e ] CentrismSocial conservatism Gerhard Pfister 13.8% GRÜNE / VERT-E-SGreen PartyGreens group (G) Green politicsProgressivismBalthasar Glättli 13.2% glp / pvl Green Liberal Party Green Liberal group (GL) Green liberalism Jürg Grossen 7.8% EVP / PEV Evangelical People's Party The Centre group (M-E) Christian democracySocial conservatism Lilian Studer 2.1% PdA / PST Swiss Party of Labour Greens group (G) CommunismMarxism Gavriel Pinson 1,0% solidaritéS Solidarity Greens group (G) Anti-capitalismTrotskyism Collective leadership EDU/UDF Federal Democratic Union Swiss People's Party group (V) Christian rightRight-wing populism Daniel Frischknecht 1.0% LdT Ticino League Swiss People's Party group (V) RegionalismRight-wing populism Antonella Bignasca & Boris Bignasca 0.8%
Candidates For this election, the Federal office of statistics reports a record in the number of candidacies. 5909 people (2408 women (41%) and 3501 men (59%)) in total, which is an increase of 1264 or 27% compared to last election, are candidates for the National Council on a total of 618 lists (an increase of 107).
Nearly a third (30%) of the candidates for the national council are younger than 30 years old. The average age is under 40 for the Greens and PS/SP, and it exceeds 50 for the smaller right-wing parties Ticino League and Geneva Citizens Movement.
Incumbents not standing for re-election National Council As of 8 April 2023, 25 National Council incumbents (an eighth of the council) announced they would not stand in this election.
+ Member Canton First elected Party Pirmin Schwander Schwyz 2003 SVP/UDC Walter Wobmann Solothurn 2003 SVP/UDC Kurt Fluri Solothurn 2003 FDP/PLR Christa Markwalder Bern 2003 FDP/PLR Thurgau 2005 SP/PS Ida Glanzmann Lucerne 2006 DM/LC Ada Marra Vaud 2007 SP/PS Jacques Bourgeois Fribourg 2007 FDP/PLR Doris Fiala Zürich 2007 FDP/PLR Christian Lüscher Geneva 2007 FDP/PLR Andreas Aebi Bern 2007 SVP/UDC Yvette Estermann Lucerne 2007 SVP/UDC Andrea Geissbühler Bern 2007 SVP/UDC Jean-Pierre Grin-Hofmann Vaud 2007 SVP/UDC Erich von Siebenthal Bern 2007 SVP/UDC Martin Landolt Glarus 2009 DM/LC Lucerne 2010 SP/PS Yvonne Feri Aargau 2011 SP/PS Peter Keller Nidwalden 2011 SVP/UDC Schwyz 2011 DM/LC Jura 2011 DM/LC Verena Herzog Thurgau 2013 SVP/UDC Roger Köppel Zürich 2015 SVP/UDC Angelo Barrile Zürich 2015 SP/PS Sandra Locher Benguerel Grisons 2019 SP/PS
Council of States As of 8 April 2023, 9 Council of States incumbents (nearly a fifth of the council) announced they would not stand in this election.
+ Member Canton First elected Party Alex Kuprecht Schwyz 2003 SVP/UDC Roberto Zanetti Solothurn 2010 SP/PS Hans Stöckli Bern 2011 SP/PS Thomas Hefti Glarus 2014 FDP/PLR Olivier Français Vaud 2015 FDP/PLR Ruedi Noser Zürich 2015 FDP/PLR Hansjörg Knecht Aargau 2019 SVP/UDC Marina Carobbio Guscetti Ticino 2019 SP/PS Adèle Thorens Goumaz Vaud 2019 Greens
Opinion polls
Graphical summary
Nationwide polling since 2021
Seat predictions
Results
The SVP, which had campaigned heavily on opposing migration, performed strongly. The SVP made gains in Romandy, gaining for the first time more national councillors than the FDP in the region. The Centre notably gained seats, surpassing the FDP — putting the latter's second Federal Council seat in doubt — while the Green Party and Green Liberal Party performed poorly. The results indicated a stark divide between urban and rural areas. Although right-wing parties gained seats in the National Council, they did not secure a majority in the chamber. Despite the SVP's gains in the National Council, it did not perform as strongly in the Council of States, whereas The Centre gained seats. Neither the Left nor Right had a clear majority in the chamber.
National Council
By canton CantonSVPSP Centre FDP Greens GLP Others%Seats%Seats%Seats%Seats%Seats%Seats%Seats Aargau35.5716.4312.0213.127.118.517.50 Appenzell Ausserrhoden47.71––15.9035.70––––0.70 Appenzell Innerrhoden2.40––86.71––––––10.90 Basel-Landschaft28.9224.7210.6114.2110.017.004.60 Basel-Stadt13.6031.815.8017.2117.119.115.20 Bern30.9820.758.127.5110.8310.5311.32 Fribourg25.8220.6119.9213.3111.813.704.90 Geneva15.3218.438.2115.7215.426.7020.42 Glarus42.6123.4031.20––––––2.80 Grisons30.6217.8123.9113.715.206.302.50 Jura19.1129.6126.508.7011.102.402.70 Lucerne25.8213.7227.9315.418.116.502.60 Neuchâtel17.3122.512.6021.0116.516.8013.50 Nidwalden39.90––45.3114.80–––––– Obwalden52.31––––47.70–––––– Schaffhausen39.1127.412.6012.204.806.807.20 Schwyz35.9210.9017.6119.612.703.3010.00 Solothurn28.7217.2117.9117.419.316.003.50 St. Gallen34.5512.7218.8214.428.715.804.90 Thurgau40.3310.2115.3110.718.506.608.20 Ticino15.1212.5117.7121.129.111.5023.01 Uri35.30––62.41––––––2.30 Valais24.5214.3135.4314.718.412.000.70 Vaud19.2425.364.5122.4413.537.517.60 Zug30.215.2024.9113.0016.216.204.30 Zürich27.41021.188.1312.559.9412.448.62 Total27.936218.274114.062914.25289.78237.55108.167 Source: FSO
Council of States 31 of the 46 seats of the Council of States were filled in the first round, with the remaining 15 seats filled in the second round on the 12 and 19 November.
PartySeats1stround2ndroundTotal+/–The Centre10515NewThe Liberals9211–1Social Democratic Party5490Swiss People's Party4260Green Party303–2Geneva Citizens' Movement011+1Green Liberal Party011+1Total3115460Source: FSO
By canton CantonCentreFDPSPSVPGreensMCGGLP Aargau11 Appenzell Ausserrhoden1 Appenzell Innerrhoden1 Basel-Landschaft1 Basel-Stadt1 Bern11 Fribourg11 Geneva11 Glarus11 Grisons11 Jura11 Lucerne11 Neuchâtel11 Nidwalden1 Obwalden1 Schaffhausen11 Schwyz11 Solothurn11 St. Gallen11 Thurgau11 Ticino11 Uri11 Valais2 Vaud11 Zug11 Zurich11 Total151196311 Source: FSO
Electorate demographics