Bridge the City-Country Divide: Linking Urban and Rural Cantons
Published: Monday, Oct 23rd 2023, 09:53
Back to Live Feed
On Sunday's National Council elections, the urban-rural divide was evident: The SVP emerged as the strongest party in 15 cantons - however, it only achieved a majority in three cantonal capitals. Most of these are in the hands of the SP. A majority of voters in Frauenfeld, Herisau and Zug voted for the Swiss People's Party (SVP), according to data from the Federal Statistical Office (BFS). The voting behaviour of these three main towns is in line with that of the canton as a whole. The cities of Aarau, Bern, Chur, Freiburg, Liestal, Schaffhausen, Solothurn, St. Gallen and Zurich have largely voted for the Social Democratic Party (SP) - on a cantonal level, the majority of votes in each of these cities went to the Swiss People's Party (SVP). In the cantons of Schwyz and Glarus, the majority of the canton voted for the Swiss People's Party (SVP), while the main towns voted for the centre. In the canton of Obwalden, the SVP also achieved a majority according to the Federal Statistical Office (BFS) data. However, the main town of Sarnen voted mostly for the Free Democratic Party (FDP). In Ticino, both the canton and the main town of Bellinzona voted for the FDP. SP holds 15 out of 26 main towns. The Middle Party won the majority according to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office in the cantons of Nidwalden, Valais, Uri and Appenzell Innerrhoden - also in their respective capitals. The Middle Party's National Council candidate in Appenzell Innerrhoden ran unopposed. The canton of Lucerne also went to the Middle Party by majority. However, in the city of Lucerne, most people voted for the Social Democratic Party. The Swiss People's Party (SP) has won the majority in 15 of the 26 cantonal capitals, including Basel, Geneva, Lausanne, Neuchâtel and Delémont. However, only five cantons are in SP hands. The bourgeois camp holds 16 cantons: 15 for the Swiss People's Party (SVP) and one for the Free Democratic Party (FDP). According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, the centre achieved a majority in five cantons. ©Keystone/SDA
English 
German 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic