Constituencies of Switzerland

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There are 26 constituencies in Switzerland – one for each of the 26 cantons of Switzerland – for the election of the National Council and the Council of States.

The National Council consists of 200 members. National Council seats 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). As of the 2019 federal election, there are twenty multi-member constituencies with Zürich having the most number of National Council seats at 35. There are six constituencies that only have one National council seat: Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Glarus, Nidwalden, Obwalden and Uri. Multi-member constituencies elect their National Council members by open list proportional representation, while single-seat constituencies elect theirs by first-past-the-post voting.

The Council of States consists of 46 members. There are 20 two-seat constituencies representing 20 "full" cantons and six one-seat constituencies representing six "half" cantons. In 24 constituencies, Council of States members are elected using a majority system. Proportional representation is used to elect Council of States members in Jura and Neuchâtel.

List of constituencies[]

Valais

Ticino

Grisons

Geneva

Vaud

Neuchâtel

Jura

Bern

Thurgau

Zürich

Aargau

Luzern

Solothurn

Basel-Landschaft

Schaffhausen

Uri

Schwyz

Glarus

St. Gallen

Appenzell Innerrhoden

Appenzell Ausserrhoden

Obwalden

Nidwalden

Zug

Fribourg

Basel-Stadt

France

Italy

Liechten-
stein

Austria

Germany

Defunct constituencies[]

From 1848 until 1919, members of the National Council was voted using a majority system. The number of members of the National Council changed after a number of years on the results of a census. During this period, a National Council member represented 20,000 people.^[29]

Constituencies during these period were of various sizes. Smaller cantons were usually represented in one constituency while larger cantons were divided into several constituencies. There were single-member constituencies, as well as multi-member constituencies with the largest being the constituencies of Aargau from 1848 until 1851 and Zürich-Southwest from 1902 until 1911 which both had nine seats. These constituencies were officially referred to by an assigned number, but was also unofficially referred to by their names that were based on the name of the canton or a geographical area within a canton.

From 1848 to 1851, constituencies were designated by the cantonal governments. A federal election law designated the constituencies starting from 1851 until the introduction of the proportional representation system in 1919.

List of constituencies prior to 1919[]

List of defunct constituencies[]

The listed constituencies are referred to by their unofficial names. They are officially referred to by a designated number which changes after a number of years.

• Aargau-Central
• Aargau-North
• Aargau-Southeast
• Aargau-Southwest
• Bern-Emmental
• Bern-Jura
• Bern-Mittelland
• Bern-North Jura
• Bern-Oberaargau
• Bern-Oberland
• Bern-Seeland
• Bern-South Jura
• Central Valais
• Fribourg-Central
• Fribourg-North
• Fribourg-South
• Grisons-Central
• Grisons-East
• Grisons-North
• Grisons-West
• Lower Valais
• Lucerne-Central
• Lucerne-East
• Lucerne-North
• Lucerne-Northeast
• Lucerne-Northwest
• Lucerne-South
• Lucerne-Southwest
• Lucerne-West
• Schwyz-North
• Schwyz-South
• St. Gallen-Central
• St. Gallen-Northwest
• St. Gallen-Northeast
• St. Gallen-South
• St. Gallen-Stadt
• St. Gallen-West
• Thurgau 1
• Thurgau 2
• Thurgau 3
• Thurgau 4
• Ticino-North
• Ticino-South
• Upper Valais
• Upper Valais-North
• Upper Valais-South
• Vaud-East
• Vaud-North
• Vaud-West
• Zürich-East
• Zürich-North
• Zürich-South
• Zürich-Southwest
• Zürich-West

References[]