GENEVA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- A record number of candidates will run for election to the Swiss parliament on Oct. 20, including more young people and women, the Swiss government said Monday.
The Federal Statistical Office (FSO) said in a statement that 511 lists, under the Swiss system, were registered by political parties in the 26 cantons with a proportional system in preparation for the 2019 elections.
"This is 21 percent more than four years ago," said the FSO statement, which meant that 4,645 candidates are hoping to make it into the parliament after the elections.
A total of 1,873 women -- or 40.3 percent of all candidates -- are standing for election to the House of Representatives, a chamber whereas females currently hold less than one-third of seats.
Female candidates have increased for all parties apart from the center-right Conservative Democrats, while among the left of center Social Democrats and Greens, women outnumber men on election lists.
The lists of young people registered are the highest recorded with a 13-percent increase compared to 2015, said the FSO.
