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The electoral system in the city of Bern is different than in many other cities. Here, large political blocs are preferred in local council (executive) elections. Because the proportional representation system applies, where the seats are first distributed to the parties; In a first step, the party is more important than the individual leaders to be elected.
This means that when parties come together, their chances of being elected are better. The middle and center parties have had to experience this again and again in recent years. Red-Green is a power in the city government with four out of five seats.
Morning air for the commoners
But in the autumn elections, the SVP, FDP, EVP, GLP and Mitte are all feeling the light of day. They all want to run together for the first time in the government elections. The GLP has repeatedly resisted this – the political differences were too great, the political values were too different.
But after the party leadership, the GLP base has now also agreed to join forces with the bourgeois parties. This makes it realistic that the alliance partners can win two government seats. However, many Green Liberals viewed an alliance between the GLP and the SVP as impossible, even treasonous. Many are therefore concerned about the reaction of voters. Will they appreciate joining forces with the right? The concerns are justified. Not just because part of the GLP electorate could stay at home.
Danger of stumbling for the alliance
The electorate of the alliance partners must vote as one. Otherwise there will be no chance of winning two seats with a joint alliance. String concerts are not included. Because otherwise what has already happened with a bourgeois alliance could happen: the center-right alliance loses power and loses out in the distribution of seats in the city of Berne government. This is also due to the electoral system, which favors large blocs.
The GLP basis has chosen what they believe to be a safe path. In purely mathematical terms, this is a path of reason, because in advance there was talk of a “community of convenience”. But this path also involves some imponderables. It will still be a while until the fall elections. It will be turbulent months for the GLP – and the other alliance partners. With the forging of alliances, the Bernese political landscape is being shaken up, and the elections are exciting as they rarely are.