Bern is moving even further to the left in the municipal elections. What does this mean for politics – and for citizens who support the center-right? Political scientist Sean Müller makes an assessment.
Open the people box
Personen-Box suction cups
Sean Müller is an assistant professor at the Department of Political Science at the University of Lausanne.
SRF News: The Bern city government remains in the hands of the red-green coalition. Politicians emphasize that voters are satisfied with the government’s work. Is that actually the case?
Sean Müller: The majority confirmed the left camp in office. The previous members of the government were clearly re-elected, as were the new ones People also come from the left spectrum. It indicates that citizens are satisfied with the work done and that the government and parliament are delivering exactly what the majority of the people demand of them.
They say the city government delivers what the people want. Can you explain this in more detail?
Municipalities have great scope for design in many areas, such as culture, sport, childcare, urban and spatial planning and housing. These issues are the focus of the left-wing camp, which wants to make faster progress there – even if that means higher taxes and duties. Of course there are limits: a city has little authority in areas such as security or foreign policy. But the city government can – and does – act on issues that are important to voters.
The government delivers what the people want.
This seems to be successful, because new people are apparently moving to Bern.
Exactly, it’s a kind of vicious circle, or as the left would say, a “virtuous circle.” The left-wing government implements what left-wing voters want. They remain loyal to the city or even move in. At the same time, conservative voters are moving away because they don’t get what they want. This will once again strengthen the left-wing government and parliament in the next elections.
The bourgeois camp missed out on a second seat in the city government by a few hundred votes. A third of the population is underrepresented. Is that a problem?
You could see it like that. The Green Liberals are represented, but many FDP, Center or SVP voters may not feel represented. However, these parties are present in the city council. However, they are missing from the executive branch.
The city of Bern is moving further to the left, although it is located in a middle-class canton. What does this mean for cooperation between the city and the canton?
This is a phenomenon that we see throughout Switzerland. Cities like Bern, Zurich or Lausanne are often red-green dots in bourgeois-dominated cantons and a bourgeois association. This is an expression of federalism: each region can implement its political preferences. Nevertheless, this leads to tensions, for example in questions such as safety, as with the riding school, for example.
In conclusion: Bern is moving further to the left and is now the most left-wing city in German-speaking Switzerland. Is this a trend we’re seeing in other cities too?
Absolutely. In the big Swiss cities – Zurich, Basel, Geneva, Lausanne – there is a clear trend towards a stronger left-wing orientation. Bern is a special case because the city is even more left-wing than Zurich or Winterthur, only Lausanne is even more left-wing. This development shows that Swiss cities tend to become more and more progressive, while the surrounding areas remain middle-class.
The interview was conducted by Thomas Pressmann.
