Parlameter: How loyal are parliamentarians really to their party?

Parlameter: How loyal are parliamentarians really to their party?

The new “Parlameter”, an innovative tool from the University of Lucerne, has once again shed light on the political landscape in Switzerland. With this instrument, which was developed by the Institute for Swiss Economic Policy (IWP), the votes of national and state councils can be analyzed. This makes it clear how closely the parliamentarians adhere to the guidelines of their own parties.

The tool, which acts as a “seismograph of actual political life”, shows that party loyalty in the federal parliament is generally high. It is particularly pronounced in the Social Democratic Party (SP) with an impressive rate of 99.2%. In contrast, the party loyalty of the center party is 95.5%. The data also shows that around a third of national councilors vote with their own party more than 99 percent of the time, underlining the close ties between MPs and their political camps.

Spectacular insights

The highest party loyalty comes from Linda de Ventura (SP), who has been a member of the National Council since December 2024 and has an impressive vote rate of 99.8%. In the Council of States, Flavia Wasserfallen (SP) leads the list with 98.4%. An interesting contrast to this is Daniel Jositsch (SP), who is considered the biggest dissenter in the Council of States with 81.3%. In the National Council, however, Thomas Rechsteiner (center) is the biggest dissenter with a rate of 90.5%.

However, the new tool also shows that not all MPs strictly follow their party policies. In the last meeting, Fabio Regazzi (center) voted more often with the FDP (83.7%) than with his own party, which only supported him 78.2%. Regazzi comments that the thematic focus varies depending on the session and that he always tries to stay true to his convictions without fearing compromise. Despite these deviations, he has made it clear that he will never change parties.

A look at democracy

The “Parlameter” is not only an instrument for analysis, but also an important research tool for the media. He compares the decisions from the Federal Parliament with referendums, which reveals how close the parliamentarians are to the wishes of the citizens. This provides a valuable perspective on the relevance of popular decisions and highlights where gaps may exist in population representation.

At a time when transparency and accountability are increasingly required in politics, IWP managing director René Scheu emphasizes that the data collected is essential for a functioning democracy. The “Parlameter” therefore not only represents an interesting analysis platform, but also an important element for understanding direct democracy in Switzerland.