Political candidates with foreign-sounding names get 5% fewer votes than those with typically Swiss names on the same electoral list, a study published by SonntagsZeitung reveals.
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Estudio: el electorado y los partidos discriminan a las candidaturas con nombres no suizos
This phenomenon is stronger the more a party is positioned to the right of the political spectrum, researchers found.
The studyExternal link also showed that candidates with non-Swiss roots are often placed at the end of an electoral list, which further reduces their chances of being elected.
“Candidates with a migration background are not only discriminated against by the electorate, but also indirectly by party leaders,” said political scientist Daniel Auer, co-author of the study.
The study focused on elections that took place in over 20 Swiss municipalities between 2006 and 2018.
The results of the study entitled “Electoral Discrimination, Party Rationale, and the Underrepresentation of Immigrant-Origin Politicians” were published in the American Journal of Political Science.
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