Karin Keller-Sutter’s journey to the divided city of Moutier

Ahead of the March 28 vote, the head of the Federal Department of Justice met with the City Council and the cantonal authorities of Bern and Jura

In the late afternoon of Thursday, March 4, a few days before the dispatch of the voting material for the March 28, 2021 ballot on the cantonal membership of Moutier, Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter, head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP), went to Moutier to meet with the President of the Bernese State Council Pierre-Alain Schnegg, the President of the Jura Government Nathalie Barthoulot and a delegation of the Moutier City Council.

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The visit was announced on the occasion of the tripartite conference on the Jura held on January 26, 2021.
The meeting made it possible to take a final stock of the arrangements put in place to organize and supervise the vote and to demonstrate the cohesion of the municipal, cantonal and federal authorities involved.

An emblematic choice for the “Jurassic Question”.

Federal Councillor Keller-Sutter and the participants emphasized the historical importance of the vote. The vote is intended to put an end to the so-called “Jurassic Question”, a historical dispute dating back several decades, and to close a chapter that began in 1994 with the establishment of the Inter-Jurassic Assembly.

Vote of March 28, 2021 on the cantonal membership of Moutier – Figures on cantonal jobs

After the vote on the proposal for a new canton grouping the canton of Jura and the Bernese Jura in 2013 and the 2017 ballot in the municipalities of Moutier, Belprahon and Sorvilier, this vote will be the last popular consultation related to the Jura issue.

Many extraordinary measures for the regularity of the outcome

After the annulment of the 2017 vote, the following extraordinary measures were decided for the organization of the upcoming ballot: control of the electoral register by the Bernese State Chancellery and the Chancellery in Moutier, dispatch and securing of voting material by the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ), presence of federal observers, distribution of voting material to certain persons by federal observers, systematic control of legitimation cards by FOJ employees during the counting of votes.

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In addition, the municipal authorities and the Bernese and Jurassic governments have given assurances of secrecy during the voting campaign.
They recalled the importance, also for the fighting movements, of respecting the principles of the “Charte prévôtoise”.
So far, the authorities involved are satisfied with the course of the entire procedure.

Unanimous support from the authorities of Bern and Delémont

These measures were discussed at the tripartite conferences on the Jura, chaired by the Head of the FDJP and attended by the delegations for Jura matters of the cantonal governments of Bern and Jura.
They were also approved by the Municipal Council of Moutier.
Federal Councillor Keller-Sutter and the participants recalled the collective nature of this democratic procedure which is particularly complex in a federal state like Switzerland.

The wish for a concrete example of confederal peace

From March 8, eligible voters will receive their voting materials. In view of the health situation, the authorities recommend voting by mail rather than going to the polling place.
The result of the ballot is not expected until late afternoon on Sunday, March 28, in particular due to the control of the legitimation cards.
But also the phase after March 28 must be successful.

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Karin Keller-Sutter recalled that, regardless of the result of the vote, Moutier will remain a Swiss Commune.
And all participants expressed the hope that the last act of the Jurassic Question will enter into Swiss history as a concrete example of confederal peace.