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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 September 2013
On October 24 and 25, 1931, the Swiss voters selected the members of their National Council for the next four years. The election was of unusual importance because the world-wide depression has created an economic crisis in Switzerland. Unemployment has been increasing, banks have been failing, and the national government has been piling up a deficit. A flood of candidates were in the field for the 187 seats now in the National Council (11 less than in the outgoing Council). Of the total of 740 candidates, 193 were nominated by the Independent Democrats, 141 by the Catholic Conservatives, 152 by the Socialists, 85 by the Peasants, 28 by the Liberal Democrats, 77 by the Communists, and 64 by the minor parties.
1 A constitutional amendment adopted on March 15, 1931, extended the term from three to four years.
2 For a discussion of the composition and aims of Swiss political parties, see the author's “Popular Participation in Swiss National Council Elections,” in this Review, XXIV (1930), 426–439Google Scholar, and Why Europe Votes (Chicago, 1930)Google Scholar; also Brooks, R. C., Civic Training in Switzerland (Chicago, 1930)Google Scholar.
3 Journal de Genève, October 30, 1931.
4 Ibid., October 28, 1931.
5 Within the united lists, the Independent Democrats won two seats and the Liberal Democrats one. If the Catholics and the Independents had joined, the distribution of seats would have been: Socialists three, Independent Democrats two, Liberal Democrats one, Catholics one, and Independents one.
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