The City of Moutier should join the canton of Jura as planned on January 1, 2026. This date was confirmed during a tripartite conference bringing together the Bernese and Jura governments as well as the Confederation. Negotiations on the intercantonal agreement, which regulates the terms of the transfer, are taking place in an atmosphere described as constructive.
The common objective has always been to transfer the municipality as soon as possible, the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP) said on Monday. Given the many steps to be taken, the date of the transfer is scheduled for January 1, 2026, in agreement with the provost authorities, underlined the DFJP.
Many steps
The date chosen takes into account the steps still necessary. Once ratified by the two cantonal executives, the intercantonal agreement will be submitted for approval to the Jura Parliament and the Bern Grand Council before a popular vote in the two cantons. Once these steps have been completed, it will be up to the Federal Chambers to decide on this territorial modification.
The next municipal elections in Moutier take place at the end of this year for a four-year term. In the canton of Jura, the elections for the municipal authorities take place this autumn and the following ones in October 2027. In order to avoid new elections at the end of 2026 in Moutier for one year, the draft agreement provides that the mandate of the provost authorities be extended until the end of 2027.
Prévôtois eligible in the Jura
The intercantonal agreement also provides that people established in Moutier can participate in the Jura cantonal elections scheduled for the end of 2025 before the effective date of the transfer.
A certain number of seats in Parliament are reserved for provost candidates who will therefore be able to campaign on Jura lists for the cantonal elections. The date of January 1, 2026 chosen for the transfer coincides with the start of the next legislature.