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If Switzerland elects a new parliament, many Biel residents would prefer to stay at home. In no other of the ten largest Swiss cities is attendance and turnout as low as in Biel BE.
Last Sunday, 37 percent of eligible voters participated in the elections for the National Council. In Bern it was 59 percent, in Zurich 52 percent and in Basel 51 percent. Even in Geneva and Lausanne VD, which are not known for their high turnout, a higher percentage of people went to the polls.
The lack of interest has consequences: Biel is the only major Swiss city that will not be represented in the new parliament. The last time someone from here was elected to the National Council was in 2007.
For decades, federal election turnout in the bilingual city was five to 10 percentage points lower than the national average.
Why is that? SonntagsBlick asked Biel residents in the pedestrian area of the city center. A man around forty answers: “They do what they want in Bern,” after which he hurriedly continues.
A passerby in her mid-sixties stayed home for a different reason: “Trop compliqué,” she says and shakes her head, it was all too complicated for her and she didn’t even open the thick election envelope. Other passersby made similar comments. The belief that every vote counts does not appear to be particularly widespread here.
High share of foreigners, fewer votes
The city council is also concerned about the abstention of Biel residents from voting. They have conducted several studies into this, most recently in 2014. All voting households received a questionnaire with voting documents at the time, of which at least 8,500 were returned. The answers confirm the picture from the street survey: important factors for staying out of the ballot box are the personal feeling of not being able to achieve anything with your own vote and the complexity of the process.
The research provided further explanations, supported by national surveys. Biel is an industrial city, the level of education is relatively low and the income is low. All this leads to lower voter participation – especially on complex issues and elections.
This is further emphasized in Biel, where one in ten people are dependent on benefits: “Those who can barely make ends meet no longer have the means for political participation,” says Anna Tanner (34). The woman from Biel is co-chair of the cantonal SP and came closest to being elected to the National Council a week ago: she is the first deputy on the SP women’s list.
The city’s relatively young population and high share of naturalized people do not exactly increase the level of democratic participation. And what is especially important in Biel: according to the 2014 survey, voters with French as their mother tongue in bilingual Biel vote significantly less often than the German-speaking Swiss – Romans make up more than 43 percent of the population.
Nevertheless, it falls short to accuse the French-speaking population of Biel of laziness in voting. They obviously lack prospects for success: French candidates are hardly known in the German-speaking canton of Bern and are regularly at the bottom of the list during elections.
“Many Romans ask me why they should vote at all if the French-speaking candidates don’t have a chance anyway,” says French-speaking Biel-centrist politician and journalist Mohamed Hamdaoui (59) – a frustration that the Romans of Biel apparently share with the Bernese Jura , which was again at the bottom of Bern’s administrative districts in terms of turnout on October 22. Despite ten percent of the population, only one Romand will represent the canton of Bern in the federal parliament: SVP Landraad Manfred Bühler (44).
Romand’s list for Bern?
Mohamed Hamdaoui therefore calls on the French speakers to join forces: the parties in the canton of Bern must agree on a common Romands list to increase their chances of election. Hamdaoui is convinced that this would also arouse the interest of voters.
And what about the city government? Are they doing too little to get voters to the polls? Mayor Erich Fehr (55) swears: “We have done everything we can.” Simplified language in the voting documents, hotline for questions, ballot boxes already available on Saturdays and Fridays. Fehr sees that parties and local media have a duty. They lead too few substantive debates, especially when it comes to local issues. “Politics must be even closer to the people!”
However, Fehr does not believe in compulsory voting as introduced by the canton of Schaffhausen. The comprehensive right to have a say in Switzerland is unique and a privilege. But: “Democracy also means that you do not have to exercise your right to vote.” In Biel, an above-average number makes use of this right.
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
