Switzerland Today

Dear Swiss Abroad,

Tears of joy, tears of disappointment, and even a few shed over the onions at today's Zibelemärit in Bern.

Let’s take a moment to reflect on yesterday’s federal votes and numerous local elections. How did the Swiss Abroad vote? How did the press react? Why did Basel’s votes attract international attention? And why Bern now claims the title of Switzerland’s “left-wing city”.

Keystone / Anthony Anex

Swiss Abroad say yes to motorway expansion and stricter subletting rules

The polls predicted it, and yesterday it was confirmed: the Swiss Abroad decisively backed motorway expansion. While only 47.3% of Swiss voters at home supported the motorway network expansion, 57.3% of the Swiss Abroad were in favour.

This result is surprising. My colleague Balz Rigendinger observed in October that the Swiss Abroad tend to vote more ecologically than their counterparts at home. Why was it different this time? Pauline Turuban looked into it.

The Swiss Abroad also approved stricter subletting rules, with 53.6% in favour, compared to 48.4% at home. On other matters, such as the healthcare reform and personal rental use, the Swiss Abroad voted in line with those at home.

• Here you can find the English article and analysis by my colleague Pauline Turuban (in English)

Swiss Transport Minister Albert Rösti failed to gain acceptance for his motorway expansion plan. Keystone / Peter Schneider

Did the motorway bill fail due to scepticism about immigration? Or are women responsible for the no vote? Some insights the day after the vote

The political supporters of the motorway expansion vote experienced a heavy loss this weekend – who is to blame? Some point to the right-wing Swiss People’s Party. The centre-right Radical-Liberal Party is annoyed: “The ideologised left is increasingly receiving support from the Swiss People’s Party,” it said in a press release. Scepticism towards immigration likely played an important role in the vote.

Transport Minister Albert Rösti from the Swiss People’s Party shares this opinion. “The referendum participants have turned the bill into a question of principle. This has accumulated with people in the country who are critical of growth,” he told Swiss public television, SRF. Rösti is the big loser of the referendum weekend, as he had campaigned strongly for the motorway expansion bill.

According to follow-up surveys, female voters emerged as the winners. The Tages-Anzeiger newspaper is convinced that this gender gap is likely to provide material for discussion: four national bills were put to the vote yesterday – and women and men disagreed four times. This was revealed by a follow-up survey of 13,215 people conducted by the Leewas Institute on behalf of Tamedia and 20 Minuten. If it had been up to the men, the motorway network would have been expanded, the newspaper notes.

• The interview with political scientist Martina Mousson from gfs.bern: “The Swiss federal government is stuck in a vicious circle of defeats” (in German)
• Read about the seven lessons learned from the ‘no’ vote on the motorway expansion (in German)
• Article and post-vote survey in the Tages-AnzeigeExternal linkr (in German)

RTS

How is the press reacting at home and abroad?

The French-speaking Swiss press sees the rejection of the motorway expansion projects as a clear message in favour of climate protection and against growth, while the media in German-speaking Switzerland are mainly focusing on the failure of the Swiss People’s Party and its transport minister.

La Liberté interprets the no vote as a clear message in favour of climate protection. Switzerland should invest more in public transport instead of focusing on motorway expansion to combat climate change, it said. Le Temps, on the other hand, interprets the no vote as an expression of fear of growth and migration. It fears that this trend could influence future initiatives, such as the Swiss People’s Party initiative “No Switzerland with ten million people”.

The Tages-Anzeiger sees the no vote as a major defeat for Transport Minister Rösti. Blick.ch describes the rejection as an “unholy alliance” between left and right: “Left-wing circles voted no because they want to protect the climate. Because they don’t want to cover land with concrete. And on the right, Swiss People’s Party members voted against the bill because farmers don’t want to sacrifice land. People’s Party voters are convinced that motorways can also be relieved if immigration is restricted.”

According to Blick.ch, the result of the motorway expansion also surprises other countries. For the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the result was “surprising”, as was the Austrian Der Standard. It writes: “For drivers from Germany, Austria, France or Luxembourg, nothing will change in Switzerland – they will still have to contend with traffic jams and gridlock on the mostly two-lane motorways.”

• The press review by Swiss public radio, RTSExternal link (in French)
• Read about the reactions abroad on Blick.chExternal link (in German)

The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) is coming to Basel. The crest of the city is between the S and the C. Keystone / Georgios Kefalas

The elections in the city of Bern and the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel are attracting a lot of attention

It was not a federal bill that attracted the most international attention. No, it was the vote by the people of Basel on the loan for the organisation of the Eurovision Song Contest.

It is in the nature of things that this interests many people beyond national borders. Nevertheless, the media response is astonishing: even in Australia, the following was reported: “Swiss city votes millions for Eurovision next year”. The Times of India wrote “Basel voters approve $40m loan for ESC” and Bloomberg ran the headline “Eurovision can go ahead in Basel as vote against ‘blasphemous’ event fails”.

Domestically, the city of Bern is making headlines. With its newly elected government, it is now officially the most left-wing city in Switzerland. The five members are Marieke Kruit, Social Democratic Party (she is also running for mayor), Ursina Anderegg, the Green Alliance, Matthias Aebischer, Social Democratic Party, the incumbent mayor Alec von Graffenried, Green Free List, and Melanie Mettler, Liberal Green Party. Mettler is therefore the “most right-wing” politician in the Bernese executive. The election for the office of mayor has not yet been decided – there could be a second ballot. The incumbent mayor is at risk of being voted out.

• The headline from the Australian pressExternal link
• You can find coverage of the Bern city vote hereExternal link

Keystone / Peter Klaunzer

Picture of the day

We’re staying in Bern. Today it’s Zibelemärit (onion market). The traditional event attracts thousands of visitors every year. Onion braids, confetti, and sugar onions – there’s something for everyone.

Translated from German using DeepL/amva/ts