Authorities have announced a joint plan to ensure that re-run elections in the contested town of Moutier in northwest Switzerland next spring are fair, including a bigger role for the federal authorities.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/RTS/jc
In the latest chapter of one of the most divisive issues in recent Swiss politics, on March 28, 2021 the town of Moutier will decide for the second time whether to leave German-speaking canton Bern to join French-speaking Jura.
This comes three years after the first vote, on June 18, 2017, which was narrowly won by the “separatists” wanting to join canton Jura. However, the vote aroused suspicions that some “electoral tourists” had registered themselves as eligible voters in Moutier without actually living there. Bern authorities overturned the result and this decision was later confirmed by the Bern administrative court. Besides irregularities, the court pointed to “inadmissible” propaganda by officials such as the mayor, who should have been neutral on the issue.
The plan announced on Friday by Moutier municipality, canton Bern and the federal authorities aims to guarantee that the vote is fair and that people trust the results.
The main novelty is a bigger role for the federal authorities. The Federal Office of Justice will have a bigger oversight role and will be responsible for verifying, securing and sending on March 6 voting material previously prepared by Moutier. As in 2017, the election and counting of the votes will also be monitored by federal observers.
Bern Chancellor Christoph Auer said the March 28 vote must be “irreproachable so that the result is accepted by all parties”.
Popular Stories
More
Climate adaptation
Why Switzerland is among the ten fastest-warming countries in the world
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Environment director warns of increasing climate-related risks in Switzerland
This content was published on
The director of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has warned of increasing climate-related risks in Switzerland in an interview with SonntagsBlick on Sunday.
Gotthard traffic queue hits 11km at start of holiday season
This content was published on
The start of the summer holidays saw a long traffic jam in front of the Gotthard tunnel on Saturday. Traffic jams between Erstfeld and Göschenen in canton Uri were up to 11 kilometres long early in the morning.
This content was published on
The water temperature of the Rhine River could rise by up to 4.2° degrees Celsius by the end of the century due to the warming planet, scientists warn.
This content was published on
The Federal Council wants to explore the possibilities of joining the European Union’s €800-billion rearmament programme without compromising Swiss neutrality.
Defence Minister Pfister stresses importance of Swiss mission in Balkans
This content was published on
During a visit to the Balkans region last week, Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister met Swisscoy peacekeeping troops in Kosovo.
Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day
This content was published on
On July 14, the Swiss Air Force will take part in the traditional air parade in Paris to mark the French bank holidays with an F/A-18 fighter jet. This is a first for Switzerland.
Swiss launch competition for memorial to Nazi victims
This content was published on
The victims of Nazi Germany are to be commemorated on the Casinoterrasse in Bern. A competition will be held to determine what the site will look like.
Thousands of separatists protest Moutier vote court decision
This content was published on
Several thousand protesters held a mock funeral in the Swiss town of Moutier, criticising a court decision to overturn a contentious vote.
This content was published on
A vote in Moutier, which last year saw the Swiss town switch allegiance from canton Bern to canton Jura, has been declared void.
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.