1971 Swiss federal election

Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 31 October 1971. Although the Social Democratic Party received the most votes, the Free Democratic Party emerged as the largest party in the National Council, winning 49 of the 200 seats. They were the first federal elections in which women were allowed to vote, following a referendum earlier in the year that introduced universal suffrage for federal elections.

Results

National Council

By constituency

Constituency	Seats	Electorate	Turnout	Party		Votes	Seats won
Aargau	14	232,941	145,512	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	474,648	3
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party	396,770	3
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	315,776	3
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Swiss People's Party	247,379	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Ring of Independents	187,426	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Republican Movement	115,305	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Evangelical People's Party	76,306	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	National Action	68,260	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Team 67	51,975	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Eligible Voters and Non-Partisan Voters	36,972	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Voters for Education and Progress	8,243	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	European Federalist Party	6,570	0
Appenzell Ausserrhoden	2	28,671	13,915	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	15,924	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	9,521	1
Appenzell Innerrhoden	1	7,624	2,386	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party	2,217	1
Basel-Landschaft	7	114,565	59,320	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	115,853	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	94,370	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Ring of Independents	56,704	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Swiss People's Party	48,314	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party	54,815	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	National Action	41,095	0
Basel-Stadt	7	149,309	69,418	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	146,745	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	55,327	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Liberal Party	62,533	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Ring of Independents	61,133	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party	54,238	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	National Action	38,678	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Party of Labour	29,246	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Republican Movement	23,593	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Swiss Progressive Organisations	8,859	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Opposition Party	2,008	0
Bern	31	601,381	347,799	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	3,272,395	10
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Swiss People's Party	3,086,851	10
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	1,819,024	5
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Ring of Independents	664,295	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party	566,163	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Evangelical People's Party	430,124	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	National Action	388,872	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Republican Movement	221,004	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Independent Social-Christian Party	91,632	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Volkstümlich	4,736	0
Fribourg	6	104,385	55,827	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party	136,147	3
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	81,018	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	65,253	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Swiss People's Party	28,460	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Independent Social-Christian Party	17,435	0
Geneva	11	173,910	81,670	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Party of Labour	183,332	3
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	168,724	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	167,854	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Liberal Party	123,516	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Independent Social-Christian Party	120,939	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Ring of Independents	54,563	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Vigilance	47,504	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	National Action	12,696	0
Glarus	1	22,016	13,582	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	7,652	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	5,667	0
Grisons	5	89,842	50,960	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party	93,234	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Swiss People's Party	85,146	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	37,034	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	34,801	0
Lucerne	9	165,445	109,655	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party	473,336	5
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	290,905	3
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	120,390	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Ring of Independents	84,561	0
Neuchâtel	5	96,306	46,491	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	68,715	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	54,661	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Liberal Party	35,858	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Party of Labour	30,778	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Republican Movement	22,672	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Progressive National Party	12,080	0
Nidwalden	1	14,794	7,596	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party	6,425	1
Obwalden	1	14,371	7,721	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party	7,547	1
Schaffhausen	2	40,982	32,257	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	24,897	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	20,500	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Ring of Independents	7,548	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party	4,984	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	National Action	3,983	0
Schwyz	3	50,787	22,844	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party	24,758	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	18,652	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	13,124	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	We Want to Vote	7,800	0
Solothurn	7	128,238	82,369	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	194,154	3
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party	156,657	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	148,795	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Ring of Independents	40,527	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	National Action	25,844	0
St. Gallen	12	211,565	131,082	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party	679,985	6
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	364,356	3
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	225,490	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Ring of Independents	108,322	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Republican Movement	108,035	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Evangelical People's Party	46,530	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Swiss Progressive Organisations	6,552	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	European Federalist Party	5,227	0
Ticino	8	133,771	81,114	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	242,069	4
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party	219,389	3
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	82,930	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Autonomous Socialist Party	42,116	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Party of Labour	17,314	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Swiss People's Party	15,364	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Republican Movement	10,984	0
Thurgau	6	96,996	60,159	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Swiss People's Party	92,097	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party	82,962	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	73,228	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	59,665	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Republican Movement	31,120	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	National Action	14,999	0
Uri	1	19,694	11,039	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	9,712	1
Vaud	16	288,668	132,382	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	537,173	5
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	515,893	4
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Party of Labour	252,539	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Liberal Party	256,061	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Swiss People's Party	159,490	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party	108,558	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	National Action	87,146	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Ring of Independents	85,011	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Republican Movement	60,816	0
Valais	7	119,854	80,589	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party	341,294	5
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	106,853	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	85,778	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Independent Movement	20,380	0
Zug	2	Elected unopposed		style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party		1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party		1
Zürich	35	644,893	372,435	style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Social Democratic Party	2,688,278	8
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Free Democratic Party	2,158,558	6
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Ring of Independents	2,127,106	6
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Swiss People's Party	1,566,199	5
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Republican Movement	1,448,131	4
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Christian Democratic People's Party	1,228,888	3
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Evangelical People's Party	668,427	2
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	National Action	637,912	1
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Party of Labour	205,984	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	European Federalist Party	43,931	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Erwa-Bund	39,784	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Helvetic People's Movement Against Foreign Infiltration	32,288	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	The Initiators	24,633	0
				style="color:inherit;background:Template:Party color" |	Swiss People's Party	9,000	0
Source: Bundesblatt, 17 November 1971