Incorrect calculations also for 2023 parliamentary elections
Published: Tuesday, Aug 6th 2024, 16:50
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The AHV miscalculation is not the only gross miscalculation made by the Federal Department of Home Affairs this year. After the 2023 federal elections, votes were mistakenly counted several times and party strengths were calculated incorrectly.
After the elections on October 22, 2023, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) published the incorrect figures on national party strength and only corrected them three days later. The results of an administrative investigation commissioned by the then Minister of the Interior, Alain Berset, were published in December 2023.
According to the report, a programming error in a read-in script for the canton of Glarus and the cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden and Appenzell Ausserrhoden was the reason why the votes there were counted more than once. The three cantons each have one seat in the National Council.
The SVP, the Center Party and the FDP were initially attributed too high voter shares. The adjusted count revealed that the FDP, and not the centrist party, achieved the third-highest voter share at national level.
According to the report, problems were caused by the different data standards used by the cantons when transmitting the count data. The report also recommended standardized data deliveries from the cantons to the FSO. If necessary, a legal basis should be created for this, it continued.
The Swiss press came down hard on the Federal Office responsible for the accounting mishap. It spoke of "disgrace, debacle and fiasco" and saw confidence in democracy undermined. "The model country of democracy should actually be able to calculate such results correctly," it said.
©Keystone/SDA
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