1863 Swiss federal election

Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 25 October 1863. The Radical Left remained the largest group in the National Council, but lost its majority for the first time since 1848.[1]

The 47 electoral districts

Electoral system

The 128 members of the National Council were elected in 47 single- and multi-member constituencies; there was one seat for every 20,000 citizens, with seats allocated to cantons in proportion to their population.[2] As a result of the 1860 census, the number of seats was increased by eight following the previous elections in 1860, although the number of constituencies was reduced from 49; the extra seats were given to Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Geneva, Graubünden, St. Gallen, Thurgau, Vaud and Valais. The elections were held 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.[2] In six cantons (Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Glarus, Nidwalden, Obwalden and Uri), National Council members were elected by the Landsgemeinde.

Results

Summary

Voter turnout was highest in the Canton of Schaffhausen (where voting was compulsory) at 88.2% and lowest in the Canton of Zürich at 18.6%.

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Radical Left		44.1	59	–5
	Liberal Centre		23.8	37	0
	Catholic Right		19.0	21	+6
	Democratic Left		6.7	6	+5
	Evangelical Right		4.6	5	+2
	Independents		1.8	0	0
Total		259,398	100	128	+8
Registered voters/turnout		556,738	46.6	–	–
Source: BFS

By constituency

Constituency	Seats		Seats won	Elected members
Zürich 1	4	Liberal Centre	3	Alfred Escher Jakob Dubs Georg Joseph Sidler
Zürich 1	4	Evangelical Right	1	Paul Carl Eduard Ziegler
Zürich 2	3	Liberal Centre	3	Heinrich Honegger Johann Jakob Widmer Johann Heinrich Fierz
Zürich 3	3	Liberal Centre	3	Eduard Suter Heinrich Grunholzer Rudolf Wäffler
Zürich 4	3	Liberal Centre	3	Rudolf Benz Ulrich Meister Sr. Johann Jakob Bucher
Bern 5	4	Radical Left	4	Jakob Scherz Friedrich Seiler Karl Engemann Johann Jakob Karlen
Bern 6	4	Evangelical Right	2	Christoph Albert Kurz Eduard Blösch
Bern 6	4	Radical Left	2	Jakob Stämpfli Karl W. von Graffenried
Bern 7	4	Radical Left	4	Karl Karrer Samuel Lehmann Johann Ulrich Gfeller Ludwig Wyss
Bern 8	4	Radical Left	4	Jakob Steiner Johann Rudolf Vogel Johann Bützberger Johann Weber
Bern 9	3	Radical Left	2	Niklaus Niggeler Johann Rudolf Schneider
Bern 9	3	Evangelical Right	1	Peter von Känel
Bern 10	4	Radical Left	4	Paul Migy Édouard Carlin Cyprien Revel Xavier Stockmar
Lucerne 11	2	Liberal Centre	1	Josef Martin Knüsel
Lucerne 11	2	Radical Left	1	Wilhelm Schindler
Lucerne 12	2	Catholic Right	2	Philipp Anton von Segesser Vinzenz Fischer
Lucerne 13	3	Radical Left	3	Anton Hunkeler Hans Theiler Anton Wapf
Uri 14	1	Catholic Right	1	Alexander Muheim
Schwyz 15	2	Catholic Right	2	Karl Styger Karl Benziger
Obwalden 16	1	Catholic Right	1	Franz Wirz
Nidwalden 17	1	Liberal Centre	1	Alois Wyrsch
Glarus 18	2	Liberal Centre	2	Joachim Heer Peter Jenny
Zug 19	1	Liberal Centre	1	Wolfgang Henggeler
Fribourg 20	3	Catholic Right	3	Alfred Vonderweid Samuel Presset Laurent Chaney
Fribourg 21	2	Catholic Right	2	Louis de Wuilleret Pierre-Théodule Fracheboud
Solothurn 22	3	Radical Left	2	Simon Kaiser Benedikt von Arx
Solothurn 22	3	Catholic Right	1	Franz Bünzli
Basel-Stadt 23	2	Liberal Centre	1	Johann Jakob Stehlin
Basel-Stadt 23	2	Radical Left	1	Wilhelm Klein
Basel-Landschaft 24	3	Radical Left	3	Jakob Graf Jakob Joseph Adam Stephan Gutzwiller
Schaffhausen 25	2	Liberal Centre	1	Friedrich Peyer im Hof
Schaffhausen 25	2	Democratic Left	1	Wilhelm Joos
Appenzell Ausserrhoden 26	2	Liberal Centre	2	Johannes Roth Adolf Friedrich Zürcher
Appenzell Innerhoden 27	1	Catholic Right	1	Johann Baptist Dähler
St. Gallen 28	3	Liberal Centre	3	Johann Baptist Weder Joseph Marzell Hoffmann Wilhelm Matthias Naeff
St. Gallen 29	3	Liberal Centre	2	Josef Leonhard Bernold Paravizin Hilty
St. Gallen 29	3	Democratic Left	1	Basil Ferdinand Curti
St. Gallen 30	3	Radical Left	1	Carl Georg Jakob Sailer Johann M. Hungerbühler
St. Gallen 30	3	Democratic Left	1	Georg Friedrich Anderegg
Grisons 31	2	Radical Left	1	Johann Gaudenz von Salis
Grisons 31	2	Liberal Centre	1	Simeon Bavier
Grisons 32	2	Radical Left	1	Alois de Latour
Grisons 32	2	Catholic Right	1	Johann R. von Toggenburg
Grisons 33	1	Liberal Centre	1	Andreas Rudolf von Planta
Aargau 34	3	Liberal Centre	3	Friedrich Frey-Herosé Adolf Fischer Carl Feer-Herzog
Aargau 35	4	Liberal Centre	2	Johann Rudolf Ringier Gottlieb Jäger
Aargau 35	4	Radical Left	2	Johann Peter Bruggisser Augustin Keller
Aargau 36	3	Catholic Right	2	Wilhelm Karl Baldinger Peter Acklin
Aargau 36	3	Radical Left	1	Franz Waller
Thurgau 37	5	Liberal Centre	2	Johann Messmer Johann Joachim Lüthi
		Catholic Right	1	Augustin Ramsperger
		Radical Left	1	Johann Ludwig Sulzberger
		Democratic Left	1	Fridolin Anderwert
Ticino 38	3	Radical Left	3	Antonio Bossi Costantino Bernasconi Carlo Battaglini
Ticino 39	3	Radical Left	2	Giovanni Battista Pioda Giovanni Jauch
Ticino 39	3	Catholic Right	1	Michele Pedrazzini
Vaud 40	4	Radical Left	2	Constant Fornerod François Corboz
		Liberal Centre	1	Édouard Dapples
		Democratic Left	1	Jules Eytel
Vaud 41	4	Liberal Centre	2	Jean-Louis Demiéville Charles Bontems
Vaud 41	4	Radical Left	2	Victor Ruffy Abram-Daniel Meystre
Vaud 42	3	Radical Left	2	Louis-Henri Delarageaz Jean-Louis Ancrenaz
Vaud 42	3	Democratic Left	1	John Berney
Valais 43	2	Catholic Right	2	Alexis Allet Adrien de Courten
Valais 44	1	Catholic Right	1	Charles de Rivaz
Valais 45	2	Radical Left	2	Maurice-Antoine Cretton Louis Barman
Neuchâtel 46	4	Radical Left	4	Alexis-Marie Piaget Jules Philippin Ami Girard Louis Grandpierre
Geneva 47	4	Radical Left	4	Alexis-Marie Piaget Jules Philippin Ami Girard Louis Grandpierre

Source: Gruner[3]

Council of States

Party		Seats	+/–
	Catholic Right	17	+4
	Liberal Centre	13	0
	Radical Left	9	–4
	Evangelical Right	1	0
	Democratic Left	0	0
	Independents	4	0
Total		44	0
Source: The Federal Assembly

References

Elections to the National Council 1848–1917: Distribution of seats by party or political orientation Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine BFS
Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1886 ISBN 9783832956097
Gruner, Erich. Die Wahlen in den Schweizerischen Nationalrat 1848–1919. 3.

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[1] Elections to the National Council 1848–1917: Distribution of seats by party or political orientation Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine BFS

[NS-2] Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1886 ISBN 9783832956097

[:0-3] Gruner, Erich. Die Wahlen in den Schweizerischen Nationalrat 1848–1919. 3.

Elections and referendums in Switzerland
Parliamentary elections	1848 1851 1854 1857 1860 1863 1866 1869 1872 1875 1878 1881 1884 1887 1890 1893 1896 1899 1902 1905 1908 1911 1914 1917 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Referendums	1798 1802 1848 1866 1872 1874 1875 1876 1877 1879 1880 1882 1884 1885 1887 1889 1890 1891 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1900 1902 1903 1905 1906 1907 1908 1910 1912 1913 1914 1915 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1933 1934 1935 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
See also: Cantonal elections and referendums