Home > 1.3.2.4 Aggregation procedure and election results > SWITZERLAND - Federal Act on Political Rights
 
 
 
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Article 17
 

The 200 seats in the National Council shall be allocated among the cantons in accordance with the following procedure:2


Preliminary allocation:


The resident population of Switzerland is divided by 200. To obtain the first allocation number, the result is rounded up to the nearest whole number, unless it is already a whole number, in which case it is increased to the next highest whole number. Each canton whose population is lower than this number is allocated one seat, and is excluded from the further stages of the allocation procedure.


The resident population of the remaining cantons is divided by the number of seats that have yet to be allocated. To obtain the second allocation number, the result is rounded up to the nearest whole number, unless it is already a whole number, in which case it is increased to the next highest whole number. Each canton whose population is lower than this number is allocated one seat, and is excluded from the further stages of the allocation procedure.


This procedure is repeated until the remaining cantons reach the final allocation number.


Principal allocation: each remaining canton is allocated as many seats as its population divided by the final allocation number.


Final allocation: the remaining seats are divided among the cantons with the highest fractions of a whole number remaining. Where more than one canton has the same remaining fraction, the canton or cantons with the lower or lowest remaining number that results from the division of their population by the first allocation number are excluded. If this also results in the same remaining number for more than one canton, the allocation of the remaining seats is decided by drawing lots.


1 Amended by No I of the Federal Act of 18 March 1994, in force since 15 Nov. 1994 (AS 1994 2414; BBl 1993 III 445). 2 Amended by No I of the Federal Act of 21 June 2002, in force since 1 Jan. 2003 (AS 2002 3193; BBl 2001 6401).