Electoral system choice in Belgium and Switzerland

Abstract This chapter provides case studies of electoral system choice in Belgium and Switzerland. Whereas in both countries, districts were adjusted at regular intervals, only in Switzerland did the institutional rules allow the incumbent party (the Liberals) to adapt districts for partisan gain. Moreover, whereas in Switzerland, the minority parties struggled to form effective electoral alliances, the Belgian minority parties formed a successful electoral alliance, which increasingly threatened the Conservatives’ political dominance. As a result, concerned about losing the high magnitude urban districts they needed to protect their majority, the Belgian Conservatives ultimately decided to adopt proportional representation (PR) proactively. In contrast, the Swiss Liberals, profiting from population growth in their urban strongholds and resorting to partisan gerrymandering to contain insurgent parties, opposed PR until the very end. PR in Switzerland was eventually introduced by extra-parliamentary means, namely a direct democratic vote that the Liberals could not prevent for constitutional reasons.