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Record number of candidates up for election

A record 3,458 candidates are standing for election to the federal parliament on October 23, an increase of 10.7 per cent on the 2007 election.

The Federal Chancellery on Wednesday published final electoral list details for all 26 cantons. In the Senate, 1,132 candidates are standing for election, while 2,326 are vying for seats in the House of Representatives.

Strong rises in the number of candidates were recorded in cantons Vaud (+110), Geneva (+73), Solothurn (+60) and Aargau (+41). However canton St Gallen was notable for a decline in the number of candidates from 231 in 2007, down to 176 this year.

The total number of female candidates increased from 1,088 in 2007 to 1,132. In cantons Solothurn, Geneva and Vaud, between 22 and 29 more female candidates are standing than in 2007, while in cantons Zurich and St Gallen there are 28 and 17 fewer female candidates respectively.  

The number of Swiss abroad standing for election almost doubled from 44 in 2007 to 73 this year.

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR