Published on November 17, 2024 at 07:25. / Modified on November 17, 2024 at 07:26.
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Two months after the first round, the people of Bienne will elect their new mayor on November 24.
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Socialist Glenda Gonzalez Bassi defends the seat her party has held for nearly fifty years, while radical Natasha Pittet aims for change.
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The only certainty is that the chosen one will be a woman – a first in the history of the city – and she will be French-speaking. Only one French speaker held this position, between 1948 and 1960.
After a two-month inter-round, the people of Bienne will elect the first mayor in their history on November 24. On the evening of September 22, French-speaking socialist (PSR) Glenda Gonzalez Bassi was 102 votes short of reaching an absolute majority. She recorded 49% of the vote, compared to 45% for the French-speaking radical (PRR) Natasha Pittet, who intends to put an end to nearly fifty years of socialist hegemony. If the two candidates were officially the only ones running for office, they had competition. As there is no specific list for town hall in the Icelandic city, voters can vote for any candidate for the executive, even if the parties put forward voluntary personalities.
This is also what played a bad trick on Glenda Gonzalez Bassi, since her party colleague Anna Tanner and the Green Lena Frank won 89 and 109 votes respectively. Low scores, certainly, but these votes would have allowed the socialist to complete the affair in the first round if they had fallen into her hands. In the second, it will be a real duel whose date has been set at the same time as the next federal votes to save money and benefit from a better participation rate.
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