Legislative elections in the Swiss Confederation were held on 19 October 2003. Although in Switzerland's peculiar political system, in which all four major parties form a coalition, it is very difficult to achieve a change of government, this election produced an upset in the strong showing of the right-wing, anti-European Union

Euroscepticism

Euroscepticism is a general term used to describe criticism of the European Union , and opposition to the process of European integration, existing throughout the political spectrum. Traditionally, the main source of euroscepticism has been the notion that integration weakens the nation state...

 and anti-immigration Swiss People's Party

Swiss People's Party

The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...

. The left-wing parties, the Socialists

Social Democratic Party of Switzerland

The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....

 and the Greens

Green Party of Switzerland

The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...

, also improved their positions. The losers were the parties of the centre and centre-right, the Christian Democratic People's Party

Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland

The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...

 and the Free Democratic Party

Free Democratic Party of Switzerland

The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....

.

In the aftermath of the elections Ruth Metzler-Arnold, one of the two Christian Democrats in the Federal Council

Swiss Federal Council

The Federal Council is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the federal government of Switzerland and serves as the Swiss collective head of state....

 was replaced by Christoph Blocher

Christoph Blocher

Christoph Blocher is a Swiss politician, industrialist, and former member of the Swiss Federal Council heading the Federal Department of Justice and Police . Currently he is serving as Vice President of the Swiss People's Party...

, the most influential politician in the Swiss People's Party.

The Legislature

Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 has a bicameral legislature, the Federal Assembly (Assemblée Fédérale / Bundesversammlung / Asamblea Federale / Assemblea Federala).

• The National Council
  National Council of Switzerland
  The National Council of Switzerland is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland. With 200 seats, it is the larger of the two houses....
  
  (Conseil National / Nationalrat / Consiglio Nazionale / Cussegl Naziunal) has 200 members, elected for four-year terms by proportional representation in multi-member constituencies corresponding to the 26 Swiss cantons
  Cantons of Switzerland
  The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
  
   and half-cantons.
• The Council of States
  Swiss Council of States
  The Council of States of Switzerland is the smaller chamber of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland, and is considered the Assembly's upper house. There are 46 Councillors....
  
  (Conseil des Etats / Ständerat / Consiglio degli Stati / Cussegl dals Stadis) has 46 members elected for four-year terms from multi-member and single-member constituencies.

These elections were to the National Council and for most of the members of the Council of States.

All parties in Switzerland have different names in French, German and Italian, and conduct separate campaigns in the different language areas.

Government parties

These four parties have formed a continuous coalition government since 1959 with each party allotted a fixed number of cabinet posts (the "magic formula").

Swiss People's Party

Swiss People's Party

The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...

(right wing-populist)

• SVP, Schweizerische Volkspartei
• UDC, Union démocratique du centre
• UDC, Unione democratica di centro

Social-Democratic Party

Social Democratic Party of Switzerland

The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....

(centre-left)

• SP, Sozialdemokratische Partei
• PSS, Parti socialiste Suisse
• PS, Partito socialista

Christian Democratic Party

Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland

The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...

(centre-right)

• CVP, Christlichdemokratische Volkspartei
• PDC, Parti Démocrate-Chrétien
• PPD, Partito popolare democratico

Free Democratic Party

Free Democratic Party of Switzerland

The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....

(centre-right, liberal)

• FDP, Freisinnig-demokratische Volkspartei
• PRD, Parti radical-démocratique
• PLR, Partito liberale radicale

Other parties

Green

Green Party of Switzerland

The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...

Lists (under different names in each Canton)

Green Liberal Party

Green Liberal Party of Switzerland

The Green Liberal Party of Switzerland , abbreviated to glp, is a centrist Green liberal political party in Switzerland. Founded in 2007, the party holds five seats in the Federal Assembly....

(centre)

• GLP, Grünliberale Partei der Schweiz
• VL, Verts Libéraux

Liberal Party

Liberal Party of Switzerland

The Liberal Party of Switzerland was a party with economically liberal policies. It was known as a party of the upper class. On 1 January 2009 it merged with the larger Free Democratic Party to establish FDP.The Liberals....

• LP, Liberale Partei
• Les Libéraux

Evangelical People's Party

Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland

The Evangelical People's Party of Switzerland is a political party in Switzerland.In questions of redistribution, education, environmentalism, immigration policy, the EVP stands rather center-left. In questions of euthanasia, abortion, and registered partnership and other typically Christian...

(centre)

• EVP, Evangelische Volkspartei
• PE, Parti évangélique
• PE, Partito evangelico

Federal Democratic Union

Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland

The Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland is a political party in Switzerland....

(conservative-right)

• EDU, Eidgenossisch-Demokratische Union
• UDF, Union Démocratique Fédérale

Swiss Labour Party

Swiss Labour Party

The Swiss Party of Labour is a socialist party in Switzerland.The party was founded in 1944 by the illegal Communist Party of Switzerland. On May 21 the constituent conference of the Basel Federation of the party was held. On October 14-15 the same year the first Party Congress of the party was...

(left)

• PdA, Partei der Arbeit der Schweiz
• PST, Parti Suisse du Travail
• PdL, Partito Svizzero del Lavoro

Official results

External links and references

• Official voting results (German)
• 2003 election coverage in German, French, Italian, Romansh