A vote in Moutier, which last year saw the Swiss town switch allegiance from canton Bern to canton Jura, has been declared void. The authorities are investigating claims of “electoral tourism” which allegedly manipulated the result of the vote in June 2017.
A top district official on Monday ruled that six out of seven legal complaints over misleading propaganda and organisational flaws were justified.
More
More
Questions raised over historic local vote
This content was published on
Justice authorities are investigating electoral fraud allegations during a local vote in the Swiss town of Moutier three months ago.
The pro-Jura separatist movement said the decision had been taken for “political reasons” and vowed to fight against the vote reversal. It announced street protests .
The canton Bern authorities stated that the vote annulment now made it impossible to negotiate the town’s transference to Jura. “It is regrettable that irregularities and undemocratic behaviour were possible despite this extraordinary arrangement,” the statement read.
Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga for her part said in a statementExternal link she had taken note of the decision by the governing body of the Bernese Jura. She said she hoped people would react to the decision with composure and called for calm.
Sommaruga pointed out that the decision could be appealed.
Close decision
On June 18, 2017, voters in Moutier decided in favour of Jura by 137 votes. A total of 4,000 citizens took part in the ballot with an unusually high turnout of 88%. But the vote aroused suspicions that some people had registered themselves as eligible voters in Moutier without actually residing there.
These suspicions were raised with the federal authorities, leading to an investigation.
The controversy is the latest twist in a long-running territorial dispute in Switzerland. French-speaking Jura became the 26th Swiss canton in 1979 when a separatist movement won a vote to secede from German-speaking canton Bern. Since then, the question has been raised in some towns and villages along the border about which canton they would like to be part of.
More
More
Why Moutier matters more than Brexit
This content was published on
The democratic potential of public votes depends on the legal design and political context as shown in two examples in Britain and Switzerland.
Is reforming the Swiss pension system still possible, and if so, how?
Solutions still need to be found to meet the challenge of an ageing population and to improve the pensions of low-paid workers, the majority of whom are women.
New European space tech centre in Switzerland launches its first project
This content was published on
The European Space Deep-Tech Innovation Centre (ESDI), launched in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), is to be located in the immediate vicinity of the PSI in northern Switzerland.
Swiss Federal Railways launches campaign for safety on public transport
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Railways is launching a campaign for greater respect and safety on public transport, with posters to go up in stations and on trains starting next week.
Swiss scientists to use AI for improved weather and climate forecasts
This content was published on
MeteoSwiss and the Swiss Data Science Center have signed a four-year agreement to make greater use of AI in meteorology and climatology going forward.
This content was published on
Prices of owner-occupied homes rose in the third quarter of 2024 by 0.5%, with inflation affecting both apartments and single-family houses, says the Federal Statistical Office.
This content was published on
The honey harvest is projected to be lower than usual this year, as Swiss beekeepers report harvesting an average of just 16kg of honey per bee colony.
More young refugees in Switzerland following vocational training
This content was published on
More than half of young refugees and temporarily admitted persons between the ages of 16 and 25 are now in training. This is significantly more than five years ago.
One in five Swiss children suffers psychological abuse at home
This content was published on
In Switzerland, one in five children suffers psychological violence, and one in three has witnessed psychological violence between parents, says the association Kinderschutz Schweiz.
Swiss government minister breaks silence over Trump remarks controversy
This content was published on
Transport Minister Albert Rösti explained himself in a television interview on Sunday evening, after being called out for expressing support for Donald Trump.
Swiss Covid expert calls for caution on vaccination recommendations
This content was published on
The head of the vaccination commission would be “even more cautious today” when it comes to Covid-19 vaccination recommendations.
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.
Read more
More
Fictitious moves revive tensions over historic Moutier vote
This content was published on
Several citizens moved their addresses temporarily to the town of Moutier to be able to take part in the historic vote last year.
Justice minister calls for ‘crisis summit’ on disputed Moutier vote
This content was published on
Swiss Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga has called for the governments of Bern and Jura to 'analyse' the dispute over a 2017 secession vote.
This content was published on
Jura says appeals are being handled too slowly after last year’s vote by the people of Moutier to leave canton Bern and join canton Jura.
This content was published on
Two small Bernese municipalities are deciding whether to join the canton of Jura amid voter fraud accusations after the last such vote.
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.