Bernese SVP politician Werner Martignoni has died at the age of 97. Former state councilor and national councilor, he was a candidate for the Federal Council. At the Berne Executive Council, he notably had to manage the negotiations on the separation of property with the new canton of Jura.
Contacted Friday by the Keystone-ATS news agency, his daughter confirmed the information from the Tamedia newspapers. Mr. Martignoni left this world voluntarily at his home, in the suburbs of Bern, in the company of his wife and in the presence of his loved ones. He suffered from physical infirmities.
During his career, the NZZ economist and journalist held positions for the UDC at local, cantonal and national level: president of the municipality of Muri in 1965, elected to the Grand Council in 1966, elected to the cantonal government eight years later, then to the National Council five years later again.
Candidate for Federal Council
In his political work, the Jura conflict was a central theme. As president of the Council of State delegation for Jura and director of finance, he led negotiations with the new canton on the distribution of property, which ultimately led to a concordat.
In 1979, the Bernese SVP nominated Werner Martignoni as a candidate for the Federal Council to succeed Rudolf Gnägi. But the Federal Assembly preferred the Graubünden state councilor and price supervisor Leon Schlumpf. For the first time since the creation of the federal state, the canton of Bern was no longer represented in the Swiss government.
Clandestine payments affair
The career of the Bernese politician ended in the rhythm of business, including that of the slush funds in the Jura Question in which he was at the forefront. The affair of the misuse of lottery funds by the Bernese government shook the canton for years. Instead of being used as required by law for public utility or charitable purposes, these funds were paid in particular to the pro-Bernese movements in Laufonnais and the Bernese Jura.
A little later, the affair of clandestine payments to government parties had criminal repercussions for Werner Martignoni. He was sentenced in 1989 by the canton’s Supreme Court to three months in prison for instigation of breach of trust. The former State Councilor is now enjoying his retirement surrounded by his family.
After retiring from politics, Martignoni took up writing. He translated works of world literature such as Goethe’s Faust and Ibsen’s Peer Gynt into Bernese.
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