Alessandro della Valle: Federal parliament in Bern.
(Keystone)
Alessandro della Valle
Alessandro della Valle: Visitors in the House of Representatives during an open-door day.
(Keystone)
Alessandro della Valle
Monika Flückiger: Claudine Esseiva, "the slightly different senator", campaigning for a seat in Bern's cantonal Senate. She didn't make it.
Monika Flückiger
Monika Flückiger: Claudine Esseiva debating in Zurich.
Monika Flückiger
Béatrice Devènes: A chandelier in the entrance to parliament.
Batrice Devenes
Béatrice Devènes: The House of Representatives.
Batrice Devnes
Peter Schneider: 'Rösti with Rösti!' A brochure for Bern's Albert Rösti, who was hoping to be elected to the Senate, next to a plate of local delicacy Rösti (a shredded and fried potato dish). He failed and stayed in the House of Representatives.
PETER SCHNEIDER
Peter Schneider: There's no escape. This poster was put up in scenic Reichenbach, canton Bern.
PETER SCHNEIDER
Adrian Streun: Gesticulating during an election meeting in Glis, canton Valais.
Adrian Streun
Adrian Streun: Posters in Sion, canton Valais.
Adrian Streun
Ruben Sprich: Former finance minister, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, announcing she would stand down at cabinet elections in December.
(Reuters)
Ruben Sprich
Ruben Sprich: The three Swiss People's Party candidates who were in the running to replace Widmer-Schlumpf. From left: Thomas Aeschi, Norman Gobbi and Guy Parmelin. And the winner was...
(Reuters)
Ruben Sprich
Ruben Sprich: ...Guy Parmelin, here being guided to his seat at a press conference by cabinet minister and party colleague Ueli Maurer.
(Reuters)
Ruben Sprich
Thomas Hodel: People's Party posers: Norman Gobbi takes a selfie with Ueli Maurer, Guy Parmelin and party figurehead Christoph Blocher.
(Keystone)
Thomas Hodel
Thomas Hodel: More People's Party merriment.
(Keystone)
Thomas Hodel
Michael Stahl: Newcomers Sibel Arslan from the Green Party, who has Kurdish roots, and Tim Guldimann from the Social Democrats, the first Swiss expat to be elected to the Swiss parliament.
Michael Stahl
Yoshiko Kusano: Lea Kusano was campaigning for a seat in the House of Representatives. Despite the help of her daughter (pictured), the Bernese politician didn't make it.
Yoshiko Kusano
Yoshiko Kusano: Lea Kusano at home on election day.
Yoshiko Kusano
Peter Klaunzer: 'And Federer breaks the Djokovic serve...' Politicians in the House of Representatives.
(Keystone)
PETER KLAUNZER
Peter Klaunzer: A lobbyist waiting outside the debating chamber.
(Keystone)
PETER KLAUNZER
Candidates and assistants, winners and losers, joy and despair – national elections have it all. Ten photographers followed last year’s elections in Switzerland, catching the action in memorable images.
They attended party gatherings out in the country and watched candidates in public debates and personal publicity stunts. They trained their lenses on politicians at press conferences and at work.
What’s more, accredited photographers enjoy the privilege of unrestricted access to both chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. This is unique in Europe.
Selecting the images was harder than expected. The organisers of the exhibition in parliament’s media centre in Bern had to choose from more than 100 photos, but after two hours of discussion they managed to agree on only three. An external photographer from Zurich was brought in to ensure the exhibition would be ready on time in March.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.