The right retains the majority in the Bernese Executive Council. The six outgoing State Councilors were re-elected this Sunday, March 27. It was the candidate of the Center Astrid Bärtschi who tipped the scales in favor of the bourgeois camp by beating the socialist Erich Fehr.
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By thus seizing the seat left vacant by the centrist Beatrice Simon, Astrid Bärtschi enabled the bourgeois camp to retain the majority. The Bernese Executive Council has for the next four years 2 UDC, 2 socialists, 1 PLR, 1 Green and a representative of the Center.
The status quo
Socialist State Councilor Christoph Ammann finished first with 122,356 votes. He is ahead of the PLR Philippe Müller with 121,085 votes. This is followed by Green Christine Häsler with 120,981, SVP Pierre Alain Schnegg with 117,143, Socialist Evi Allemann with 115,757, Center candidate Astrid Bärtschi with 109,733 and SVP Christoph Neuhaus with 103,979. .
The socialist mayor of Biel Erich Fehr ranks him in eighth place with 87,765 votes. The pink-green camp therefore failed to regain the majority lost in 2018. The voters of the bourgeois camp voted compactly.
If there are no cracks in the package on the right, it’s complicated.
Eric Fehr, PS mayor of Biel and not elected
Interest focused throughout the count on the seat vacated by Beatrice Simon. On the left, we bet on the socialist mayor of Biel Erich Fehr. On the right, centrist Astrid Bärtschi from Ostermundigen was chosen to maintain the status quo in the executive.
The new Bernese State Councilor believes that her victory over a seasoned politician like Erich Fehr was also linked to the fact that in times of crisis, voters bet on a team already in place which has proven its worth. The Centre’s representative added that she had led a very committed campaign.
“We are disappointed not to have succeeded”, declared the unsuccessful candidate on the airwaves of Radio Jura bernois (RJB). Erich Fehr explained that the canton of Bern, outside of urban areas, was relatively bourgeois. “If there are no cracks in the package from the right, it’s complicated,” said the mayor of Biel.
Peter Gasser joined
The majority in government this time was not determined by the vote of the Bernese Jura. The Director of Health, Pierre Alain Schnegg, as planned, overtook his sole opponent in the French-speaking part of the canton to occupy the seat guaranteed by the cantonal Constitution to the French-speaking minority.
State Councilor Pierre Alain Schnegg obtained 6,425 votes against 2,689 for his opponent, the autonomist deputy to the Grand Council Peter Gasser, who was running on the Socialist Ensemble (ES) list. The PS and the Greens had given up presenting candidates to increase the chances of the mayor of Biel.
Low turnout
These cantonal elections did not arouse great enthusiasm. Turnout reached 31.2%. In the Bernese Jura district, it rose to 29.3% and in that of Biel to 26.2%. By way of comparison, in the canton of Vaud, participation in the cantonal elections of March 20 was 34.3%.
The Socialist Party not only failed on Sunday to regain a majority in government, it also had to record the loss of six seats in the Grand Council. The Greens and the Green Liberals, on the other hand, are the winners, each gaining 5 seats.
The SVP in force
With 44 seats out of 160, the UDC remains the most important party in a Parliament still anchored on the right. The elections to the Grand Council were scrutinized carefully, because they have value of test a year and a half before the federal elections. The canton of Bern constitutes a kind of barometer of the electoral strength of the parties.
The composition of the Grand Council for the next four years is as follows: UDC 44 seats (-2), PS 32 seats (-6), The Greens 19 seats (+5), the PLR 18 seats (-2), the Greens ‘liberals 16 seats (+5), the Center 12 seats (-), the PEV 9 seats (-1), the UDF 6 seats (+1), the PSA 1 (-1), the Mouvement Ensemble socialeiste 1 ( +1), the left alternative in Bern 1 (-) and in Thun, the bourgeois list of town and country 1 seat (+1).
executive counsel
Are elected: Christoph Ammann (PS, 122,356 votes), Philippe Müller (PLR, 121,085), Christine Häsler (Les Verts, 120,981), Pierre Alain Schnegg (UDC, 117,143), Evi Allemann (PS, 115,757), Astrid Bärtschi (The Center, 109,733), Christoph Neuhaus (UDC, 103,979).
Got votes: Erich Fehr (PS, 87’765), Christine Grogg (PEV, 47’283), Casimir von Arx (PVL, 41’369), Joshua Baumann (Standing, 17’607), Peter Gasser (ES, 15’992) , Pascal Fouquet (14’782), Mark Steiner (Standing, 13’887), Jorgo Ananiadis (Pirates, 11’240), Verena Lobsiger-Schmid (unlabeled, 10’202), Paolo Tramacere Dalyan (unlabeled, 8866 ), Bruno Moser (menschen: partei, 7407).