2003 Swiss Federal Council election
# 2003 Swiss Federal Council election

Elections to the Swiss Federal Council were held on 10 December 2003 to elect all seven of Switzerland's Federal Council. The 246 members of the United Federal Assembly elect the seven members individually by an absolute majority of votes, with the members serving for four years, beginning on 1 January 2004, or until resigning.

Six of the seven incumbents were running for re-election. Five were re-elected, but Ruth Metzler lost in her re-election bid: the first time an incumbent Federal Councillor had failed to be re-elected since 1872. In her place was elected Christoph Blocher of the Swiss People's Party (SVP). This modified the magic formula, by which the four largest parties have shared power on the Federal Council by a set formula since 1959; Metzler's Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP) was reduced from two seats to one, and Blocher's SVP increased from one to two.

## Results

### Seat held by Moritz Leuenberger

| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Canton | Round 1 |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Moritz Leuenberger | SP | Zürich | 211 |
| | Others | Others | Others | 23 |
| Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | 246 |
| Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | 246 |
| Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | 12 (1) |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 234 |

### Seat held by Pascal Couchepin

| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Canton | Round 1 |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Pascal Couchepin | FDP | Valais | 178 |
| | Fulvio Pelli | FDP | Ticino | 17 |
| | Fernand Cuche | Greens | Neuchâtel | 10 |
| | Others | Others | Others | 25 |
| Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | 246 |
| Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | 246 |
| Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | 16 (3) |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 230 |

### Seat held by Ruth Metzler

| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Canton | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Christoph Blocher | SVP | Zürich | 116 | 119 | 121 |
| | Ruth Metzler | CVP | Appenzell Innerrhoden | 116 | 117 | 116 |
| | Others | Others | Others | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | 246 | 246 | 246 |
| Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | 246 | 246 | 246 |
| Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | 6 (2) | 5 (3) | 9 (4) |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 240 | 241 | 237 |

### Seat held by Joseph Deiss

| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Canton | Round 1 |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Joseph Deiss | CVP | Fribourg | 138 |
| | Ruth Metzler | CVP | Appenzell Innerrhoden | 96 |
| | Others | Others | Others | 7 |
| Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | 245 |
| Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | 245 |
| Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | 4 (0) |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 241 |

### Seat held by Samuel Schmid

| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Canton | Round 1 |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Samuel Schmid | SVP | Bern | 167 |
| | Ruth Genner | Greens | Zürich | 13 |
| | Others | Others | Others | 24 |
| Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | 244 |
| Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | 244 |
| Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | 40 (1) |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 204 |

### Seat held by Micheline Calmy-Rey

| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Canton | Round 1 |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Micheline Calmy-Rey | SP | Geneva | 206 |
| | Others | Others | Others | 20 |
| Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | 244 |
| Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | 244 |
| Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | 18 (1) |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 226 |

### Vacant seat

| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Canton | Round 1 | Round 2 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Hans-Rudolf Merz | FDP | Aargau | 115 | 127 |
| | Christine Beerli | FDP | Bern | 83 | 96 |
| | Franz Steinegger | FDP | Uri | 16 | N/A |
| | Fulvio Pelli | FDP | Ticino | 11 | N/A |
| | Others | Others | Others | 16 | 16 |
| Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | Ballot papers distributed | 246 | 244 |
| Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | Ballot papers returned | 246 | 244 |
| Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | Invalid votes (of which spoiled) | 5 (0) | 5 (0) |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 241 | 239 |
