Swiss Parliament results
The Influence Index Switzerland uses our unique methodology combining data-driven insights with empirical analysis to rank Swiss parliamentarians, revealing how much influence each politician has in parliament and in shaping public opinion. Influence refers to the ability to shape the political process in parliament or public discourse. The data was collected between June 2022 and July 2023.
The Influence Index Switzerland 2023 demonstrates that the most influential politicians in parliament are not necessarily the loudest, but rather the quiet creators who drive the agenda.
Most influential politicians in Switzerland 2023
Top 3 parliamentary influence
First Place
Erich Ettlin
Centre Party, Obwalden (S)
Second Place
Benedikt Würth
Centre Party, St. Gallen (S)
Third Place
Carlo Sommaruga
Social Democratic Party, Geneva (S)
The Centre party holds the most significant political influence in parliament. Overall, the centrists dominate the ranking of the 30 most politically influential MPs, with 36.7% (a total of 11 Centre parliamentarians). The Liberal Party (FDP) is the second most influential party in parliament.
The Social Democrats (SP), Greens, and Swiss National Party (SVP) have a greater public influence. In the public influence ranking, the SP clearly stands out as the most prominent overall. Both SP men and women are the most influential MPs and dominate both councils.
Top 3 public influence
First Place
Roger Köppel
Swiss People's Party, Zurich (N)
Second Place
Cédric Wermuth
Social Democratic Party, Aargau (N)
Third Place
Eva Herzog
Social Democratic Party, Basel-City (N)
Despite women's achievements in the 2019 elections, male politicians are still more influential in parliament. Female politicians are still noticeably less influential than their male counterparts in both the National Council and the Council of States. The difference between genders is especially pronounced in the Council of States but relatively narrow in the National Council.
Key findings
What does the Influence Index reveal about political discourse in Switzerland?
When it comes to political business in parliament, polarising politicians do not always contribute much to the success of a deal, even though they often speak out publicly. In order to draw attention to a political issue in parliament, compromising, composed parliamentarians with a large network are needed.
In Switzerland's direct democratic system, loud parliamentarians with public influence are political issue-setters and are helpful in the public discourse when a political deal is up for a vote.
The Influence Index provides an initial overview of the factual situation in the direct democratic process in Switzerland. The philosophy of BCW's strategic public affairs consultancy is that data analysis can make any political project more agile, efficient and targeted. Unexpected findings from data analysis are incorporated into the consulting process on an ongoing basis.
Based on our data analysis, BCW's public affairs and data specialists can create a thematic analysis tailored to your needs.
Which parliamentarians should currently be considered for a specific issue, for example in health policy?
Rankings and analysis
