Female vote in Switzerland

The female vote in Suisse is introduced at the federal level after the Votation of the February 7th 1971 into an exactly opposite proportion with that noted during the voting of the 1959 (refused to 2 against 1).

The main reason of this delay of Switzerland on the other European countries is the importance of the Direct democracy in the political system. The introduction of the Vote for all to the levels federal and cantonal indeed requires the vote of the majority of the voters, in fact male, by Référendum. Moreover, a constitutional reform at the federal level must also be approved by the majority of the representatives of the cantons to the Conseil of the States. Another reason is the close link, since the constitution of 1848, between the right to vote and the traditionally reserved military service with the men.

The number of women passes from 10 to 50 of 1971 to 2003 to the National council and from 1 to 11 to the Council of the States for the same period. With the Federal council, there is 1 woman of 1984 with 1989 then of 1993 with 1999. This double number of 1999 to 2003 then falls down to one with the not-re-election of Ruth Metzler-Arnold. Since the election of Doris Leuthard, it is again of 2. In June 2005, there are 53 women at the National council (following replacements).

Chronology

The constitution of 1848, which is at the origin of modern Switzerland, proclaims the equality in right of all the human beings (in German Menschen ) but explicitly does not include the women in this equality. The laws which follow this constitution however firmly register the women in a legal situation of inferiority.

Of 1860 with 1874, the first movements feminist are organized and, at the time of the debates preceding the first constitutional revision by 1874, the political rights of the women are discussed many. Despite everything, the new constitution does not make any improvement. In 1886, a first petition is presented to the federal Assemblée by a group of women taken along by Marie Goegg-Pouchoulin. The attention drawn by this initiative leads to the first article on the claims of the women in a famous daily newspaper, Ketzerische Neujahrsgedanken einer Frau of Meta von Salis published in 1887 by the Zürcher Post . The same year, Emilie Kempin-Spyri claims in front of the Federal court the right to become lawyer. This right is refused to him.

In 1894, von Salis organizes in the Swiss main cities of the meetings on the topic of the right to vote of the women. Its conferences have little success and it must often face many demonstrations of hostility. Two years later, in 1896, is held with Geneva the first Swiss female Congress. Many male speakers call with alliance between men and women and, at the same time, with the moderation of the claims. The importance that these claims in the public debate take leads to the creation of the first parliamentary commission on the female question .

It is necessary to await the Années 1960 so that 8 cantons introduce the female vote at the cantonal level. 20 years are still necessary so that this right is generalized to the unit of the cantons. In a stop of the November 27th 1990 in the cause Theresa Rohner and consorts against Appenzell Rhodos-Interior (FRA 116 Ia 359), the Federal court anticonstitutional judge exclusively male vote as practiced in the Rhodos-Interior demicanton of Appenzell; the principle of the equality between women and men as guaranteed by the federal Constitution indeed orders to interpret the Constitution appenzelloise so that the female vote is also possible. The voters of this canton had refused in 1959 the female vote by 2050 votes against 105.

Introduction of the female vote at the cantonal level

Internal bond

Vote of the women

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