1983 Swiss federal election

1983 Swiss federal election
	All 200 seats in the National Council (101 seats needed for a majority); All 46 seats in the Council of States (24 seats needed for a majority)
Turnout	48.9% 0.9 pp

Last updated January 02, 2023

Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 23 October 1983.^[1]^[2] The Free Democratic Party emerged as the largest party in the National Council, winning 54 of the 200 seats.^[3] It was the first time the Social Democratic Party had not received the most votes in a federal election since 1925.^[4]

Results

National Council



Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Free Democratic Party	457,283	23.33	54	+3
	Social Democratic Party	447,634	22.84	47	–4
	Christian Democratic People's Party	396,281	20.22	42	–2
	Swiss People's Party	217,166	11.08	23	0
	Alliance of Independents	78,292	3.99	8	0
	National Action	57,592	2.94	4	+2
	Liberal Party	55,326	2.82	8	0
	Swiss Progressive Organisations	43,694	2.23	3	+1
	Evangelical People's Party	40,837	2.08	3	0
	Federation of Swiss Green Parties	37,079	1.89	3	+2
	Feminist and Green Alternative Groups	20,063	1.02	0	0
	Swiss Party of Labour	17,488	0.89	1	–2
	Republican Movement	10,148	0.52	1	0
	Autonomous Socialist Party	9,962	0.51	1	0
	Independent Social-Christian Party	7,808	0.40	0	New
	Federal Democratic Union	7,590	0.39	0	0
	Other parties	55,599	2.84	2	–
Total		1,959,842	100.00	200	0

Valid votes		1,959,842	98.49
Invalid/blank votes		30,118	1.51
Total votes		1,989,960	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		4,068,940	48.91
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

By constituency

Constituency	Seats	Electorate	Turnout		Votes	Seats won
Aargau	14	287,227	129,016	Social Democratic Party	489,381	4
				Christian Democratic People's Party	382,862	4
				Free Democratic Party	360,368	3
				Swiss People's Party	252,066	2
				Ring of Independents	105,223	1
				Evangelical People's Party	88,557	0
				National Action	71,119	0
				Socialist Workers' Party	21,609	0
				More Freedom	7,827	0
				Social Liberal European Federalist Party	2,453	0
Appenzell Ausserrhoden	2	31,463	13,025	Free Democratic Party	8,160	1
				"Herbert Maeder in the National Council" Committee	5,856	1
				Social Democratic Party	5,347	0
				Christian Democratic People's Party	3,281	0
Appenzell Innerrhoden	1	8,702	2,132	Christian Democratic People's Party	1,950	1
Appenzell Innerrhoden	1	8,702	2,132	Others	90	0
Basel-Landschaft	7	143,229	70,557	Social Democratic Party	158,759	3
				Free Democratic Party	122,193	2
				Swiss People's Party	54,546	1
				Christian Democratic People's Party	52,707	1
				Swiss Progressive Organisations	35,206	0
				Ring of Independents	21,379	0
				National Action	19,110	0
				Feminist and Green Alternative Groups	14,520	0
				Federation of Swiss Green Parties	9,324	0
Basel-Stadt	6	137,296	62,694	Social Democratic Party	115,577	2
				Free Democratic Party	50,482	1
				Swiss Progressive Organisations	44,581	1
				Christian Democratic People's Party	36,952	1
				Liberal Party	31,040	0
				Ring of Independents	26,274	1
				National Action	19,790	0
				Evangelical People's Party	17,866	0
				Democratic Social Party	11,429	0
				Party of Labour	8,528	0
				Feminist and Green Alternative Groups	3,707	0
				People's Action Against Many Foreigners In Our Home	2,108	0
				Green Action	774	0
				Basel Party for Calm, Order and Security	771	0
Bern	29	625,995	312,288	Swiss People's Party	2,597,070	9
				Social Democratic Party	2,529,138	8
				Free Democratic Party	1,351,472	5
				National Action	536,254	2
				Free List	417,624	1
				Evangelical People's Party	291,517	1
				Ring of Independents	288,099	1
				Autonomous Socialist Party of South Jura	192,669	0
				Christian Democratic People's Party	191,536	0
				Federal Democratic Union	162,341	0
				Feminist and Green Alternative Groups	142,749	0
				Swiss Progressive Organisations	142,651	1
				Federation of Swiss Green Parties	57,759	0
				Socialist Workers' Party	31,959	0
				Citizens' List Against the Accumulation of Offices	11,326	0
				Social Liberal European Federalist Party	4,678	0
Fribourg	6	122,666	64,746	Christian Democratic People's Party	143,535	3
				Social Democratic Party	90,658	1
				Free Democratic Party	75,556	1
				Swiss People's Party	33,466	1
				Independent Social-Christian Party	28,302	0
				Socialist Workers' Party	6,561	0
Geneva	11	187,930	83,705	Social Democratic Party	172,453	2
				Liberal Party	171,576	3
				Party of Labour	85,219	2
				Free Democratic Party	145,144	2
				Christian Democratic People's Party	110,293	1
				Republican Movement	109,690	1
				Federation of Swiss Green Parties	68,431	0
				National Action	18,865	0
				Socialist Workers' Party	13,031	0
				Social Liberal European Federalist Party	2,588	0
Glarus	1	23,048	6,061	Swiss People's Party	5,045	1
Glarus	1	23,048	6,061	Others	420	0
Grisons	5	106,814	42,613	Christian Democratic People's Party	66,986	2
				Social Democratic Party	49,617	1
				Swiss People's Party	44,250	1
				Free Democratic Party	40,420	1
Jura	2	42,207	25,939	Free Democratic Party	14,808	1
				Christian Democratic People's Party	12,896	0
				Social Democratic Party	9,171	1
				Friends and Sympathizers of Jean Wilhelm	7,475	0
				Independent Social-Christian Party	6,052	0
				Swiss People's Party	1,037	0
Lucerne	9	193,946	117,278	Christian Democratic People's Party	509,792	5
				Free Democratic Party	293,937	3
				Social Democratic Party	120,588	1
				Swiss Progressive Organisations	86,399	0
				National Action	13,255	0
				Non-Partisan	3,350	0
Neuchâtel	5	97,581	42,674	Social Democratic Party	68,562	2
				Liberal Party	63,991	2
				Free Democratic Party	40,211	1
				Federation of Swiss Green Parties	15,226	0
				Party of Labour	8,739	0
				Ring of Independents	7,257	0
				Socialist Workers' Party	2,945	0
Nidwalden	1	20,439	6,027	Christian Democratic People's Party	4,166	1
Nidwalden	1	20,439	6,027	Others	122	0
Obwalden	1	17,378	5,370	Christian Democratic People's Party	3,415	1
Obwalden	1	17,378	5,370	Others	337	0
Schaffhausen	2	44,499	32,795	Social Democratic Party	22,431	1
				Free Democratic Party	16,624	1
				Swiss People's Party	14,375	0
				Christian Democratic People's Party	4,023	0
				Ring of Independents	3,550	0
				Swiss Progressive Organisations	1,694	0
				Socialist Workers' Party	766	0
Schwyz	3	63,068	27,491	Christian Democratic People's Party	37,267	2
				Free Democratic Party	20,775	1
				Social Democratic Party	16,812	0
				Swiss People's Party	5,186	0
Solothurn	7	144,237	87,554	Free Democratic Party	223,530	3
				Social Democratic Party	166,812	2
				Christian Democratic People's Party	160,478	2
				Swiss Progressive Organisations	20,781	0
				Ring of Independents	23,832	0
				Socialist Workers' Party	5,255	0
St. Gallen	12	244,526	107,611	Christian Democratic People's Party	520,398	5
				Free Democratic Party	350,297	4
				Social Democratic Party	207,455	2
				Ring of Independents	130,263	1
				Feminist and Green Alternative Groups	41,558	0
				Swiss People's Party	24,021	0
Ticino	8	159,845	98,398	Free Democratic Party	285,420	3
				Christian Democratic People's Party	255,684	3
				Social Democratic Party	103,631	1
				Autonomous Socialist Party	79,454	1
				Swiss People's Party	15,702	0
				Socialist Workers' Party	7,435	0
				Ticino Democratic Rights	3,091	0
				Social Liberal European Federalist Party	2,717	0
Thurgau	6	113,263	59,712	Swiss People's Party	80,381	2
				Christian Democratic People's Party	76,133	2
				Social Democratic Party	68,735	1
				Free Democratic Party	64,444	1
				Federation of Swiss Green Parties	20,785	0
				Evangelical People's Party	18,504	0
				Ring of Independents	13,768	0
				National Action	9,609	0
Uri	1	22,440	6,772	Free Democratic Party	4,799	1
Uri	1	22,440	6,772	Others	868	0
Vaud	17	320,472	128,894	Free Democratic Party	650,061	7
				Social Democratic Party	467,069	5
				Liberal Party	360,481	3
				Federation of Swiss Green Parties	150,149	1
				Swiss People's Party	131,952	1
				Christian Democratic People's Party	96,697	0
				Party of Labour	88,607	0
				Feminist and Green Alternative Groups	80,816	0
				National Action	55,162
				Socialist Workers' Party	45,173	0
				Social Liberal European Federalist Party	10,851	0
Valais	7	145,446	94,937	Christian Democratic People's Party	371,921	4
				Free Democratic Party	162,477	2
				Social Democratic Party	91,323	1
				Democratic Valais Independent Group	20,853	0
Zug	2	47,815	25,464	Christian Democratic People's Party	20,127	1
				Free Democratic Party	16,938	1
				Social Democratic Party	11,841	0
				Socialist Workers' Party	1,309	0
				Joy, Peace and Zwätschgechueche	603	0
Zürich	35	717,000	336,259	Social Democratic Party	2,679,690	8
				Free Democratic Party	2,537,519	9
				Swiss People's Party	1,612,538	5
				Ring of Independents	1,157,817	4
				Christian Democratic People's Party	1,058,175	3
				National Action	682,087	2
				Evangelical People's Party	632,813	2
				Federation of Swiss Green Parties	484,533	1
				Swiss Progressive Organisations	442,017	1
				Feminist and Green Alternative Groups	79,972	0
				Federal Democratic Union	67,437	0
				Socialist Workers' Party	48,100	0
				Party of Labour	40,355	0
				Non-Partisan List	26,915	0
				Senior Citizens' List of the Canton of Zürich	20,673	0
				Social Liberal European Federalist Party	21,058	0
				Life + Justice	17,618	0

Source: Bundesblatt, 29 November 1983

Council of the States



Party		Seats	+/–
	Christian Democratic People's Party	18	0
	Free Democratic Party	14	+3
	Social Democratic Party	6	–3
	Swiss People's Party	5	0
	Liberal Party	3	0
	Alliance of Independents	0	0
Total		46	0

Source: Nohlen & Stöver

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References

↑ Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1895 ISBN 9783832956097
1 2 Lohneis, Hans (1984). "The Swiss election of 1983: A glacier on the move?". West European Politics. 7 (3): 117–119. doi:10.1080/01402388408424490. ISSN 0140-2382.
↑ Nohlen & Stöver, p1955
↑ Nohlen & Stöver, pp1947–1951

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[NS-1] Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1895 ISBN 9783832956097

[:0-2] 1 2 Lohneis, Hans (1984). "The Swiss election of 1983: A glacier on the move?". West European Politics. 7 (3): 117–119. doi:10.1080/01402388408424490. ISSN 0140-2382.

[3] Nohlen & Stöver, p1955

[4] Nohlen & Stöver, pp1947–1951

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