Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 27 October 1872. The Radical Left remained the largest group in the National Council.[1]
The 135 members of the National Council were elected in 48 single- and multi-member constituencies 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. For the first time the National Council was directly-elected in its entirety; in previous elections the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Glarus, Nidwalden, Obwalden and Uri had their National Council members elected by the Landsgemeinde. However, an electoral law passed in 1872 required secret voting for federal elections and a polling station to be opened in every municipality in order to avoid manipulation in the open Landsgemeinde.[2] The electoral law also changed the calculation of a candidate's majority from including valid and invalid votes to only valid votes.[3]
There was one seat for every 20,000 citizens, with seats allocated to cantons in proportion to their population.[4] Following the 1869 elections the number of seats was increased from 128 to 137, with the members now elected from 48 constituencies, increased from 47. Bern gained two seats, whilst Fribourg, Neuchâtel, Solothurn, St Gallen and Zürich gained one each.
Voter turnout was highest in the Canton of Uri at 91.3% (higher than the 75.2% who voted in Schaffhausen, where voting was compulsory) and lowest in Schwyz at 39.8%.
| Constituency | Seats | Party | Seats won | Elected members | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zürich 1 | 5 | Liberal Centre | 5 | |||
| Zürich 2 | 3 | Democratic Left | 2 | |||
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Heinrich Fierz | ||||
| Zürich 3 | 3 | Democratic Left | 3 | |||
| Zürich 4 | 3 | Democratic Left | 3 | |||
| Bern 5 | 5 | Radical Left | 5 | |||
| Bern 6 | 4 | Evangelical Right | 2 | |||
| Radical Left | 2 | |||||
| Bern 7 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | |||
| Bern 8 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | |||
| Bern 9 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | |||
| Bern 10 | 5 | Radical Left | 5 | |||
| Lucerne 11 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 2 | |||
| Lucerne 12 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Josef Zemp | ||
| Lucerne 13 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | |||
| Lucerne 14 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | |||
| Uri 15 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Josef Arnold | ||
| Schwyz 16 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | |||
| Obwalden 17 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Alois Reinert | ||
| Nidwalden 18 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Walter Zelger | ||
| Glarus 19 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Joachim Heer | ||
| Radical Left | 1 | Niklaus Tschudi | ||||
| Zug 20 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Alois Schwerzmann | ||
| Fribourg 21 | 3 | Catholic Right | 3 | |||
| Fribourg 22 | 3 | Catholic Right | 3 | |||
| Solothurn 23 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | |||
| Basel-Stadt 24 | 2 | Radical Left | 1 | Wilhelm Klein | ||
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Jakob Stehlin | ||||
| Basel-Landschaft 25 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | |||
| Democratic Left | 1 | Emil Frey | ||||
| Schaffhausen 26 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Friedrich Peyer im Hof | ||
| Democratic Left | 1 | Wilhelm Joos | ||||
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden 27 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Adolf Friedrich Zürcher | ||
| Radical Left | 1 | Johannes Hohl | ||||
| Appenzell Innerhoden 28 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Alois Broger | ||
| St. Gallen 29 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 2 | |||
| Democratic Left | 2 | |||||
| St. Gallen 30 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | |||
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Rudolf Hilty | ||||
| St. Gallen 31 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Georg Friedrich Anderegg | ||
| Catholic Right | 1 | Johann Fridolin Müller | ||||
| Radical Left | 1 | Johann M. Hungerbühler | ||||
| Grisons 32 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Simeon Bavier | ||
| Evangelical Right | 1 | Hermann Jakob von Sprecher | ||||
| Grisons 33 | 2 | Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Anton Casparis Sr. | ||
| Catholic Right | 1 | Johann R. von Toggenburg | ||||
| Grisons 34 | 1 | Radical Left | 1 | Johann Albert Romedi | ||
| Aargau 35 | 3 | Liberal Centre | 2 | |||
| Radical Left | 1 | Arnold Künzli | ||||
| Aargau 36 | 4 | Radical Left | 3 | |||
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Hans Weber | ||||
| Aargau 37 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 | |||
| Liberal Centre | 1 | K. F. S. Fahrländer | ||||
| Thurgau 38 | 5 | Democratic Left | 4 | |||
| Liberal Centre | 1 | Johann Messmer | ||||
| Ticino 39 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | |||
| Catholic Right | 1 | Massimiliano Magatti | ||||
| Ticino 40 | 3 | Catholic Right | 2 | |||
| Radical Left | 1 | Giovanni Jauch | ||||
| Vaud 41 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 2 | |||
| Radical Left | 2 | |||||
| Vaud 42 | 4 | Liberal Centre | 2 | |||
| Radical Left | 2 | |||||
| Vaud 43 | 3 | Radical Left | 3 | |||
| Valais 44 | 2 | Catholic Right | 2 | |||
| Valais 45 | 1 | Catholic Right | 1 | Maurice Evéquoz | ||
| Valais 46 | 2 | Catholic Right | 1 | Louis Gross | ||
| Radical Left | 1 | Louis Barman | ||||
| Neuchâtel 47 | 5 | Radical Left | 5 | |||
| Geneva 48 | 4 | Radical Left | 4 | |||
| Source: Gruner[5] | ||||||
| Constituency | Seats | Date of re-run | Party | Seats won | Elected members | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ticino 40 | 3 | 6 April 1873 | Catholic Right | 2 | |||
| Radical Left | 1 | Giovanni Jauch | |||||
| Ticino 39 | 3 | Radical Left | 2 | ||||
| Catholic Right | 1 | Massimiliano Magatti | |||||
| Ticino 40 | 3 | Catholic Right | 3 | ||||
| Source: Gruner | |||||||