Jurassic conflict – Moutier shows how vulnerable democracy is – also in Switzerland

The municipality of Moutier has decided at the ballot box: it will move from Bern to the canton of Jura. It is the peaceful end to a conflict that was once associated with acts of violence. – A victory for democracy, but a close one. A comment.

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Democracy is alive – and it can resolve conflicts peacefully, even if it takes a long time. The example of Moutier shows this. For decades, those loyal to Bern and pro-Jurassic separatists fought over who would belong to the canton. Yesterday it was decided in a vote to change cantons. Peaceful. This is also a success for the federal government, which mediated in a conflict that once caused burning farmhouses and which was fought with explosives by pro-Jurassic terrorists.

But Moutier also shows how fragile democracy can be. Little would be needed and the trust of the citizens could fall. There were irregularities in a first attempt at voting in 2017. On Sunday, a court order therefore had to go to the polls again. The electoral register is still a sore point, even if no attempted fraud has been proven. Did everyone who voted for the change really have their center of life in Moutier or did some of them cheat and violate democratic decency? The Bernese cantonal government is asking itself that.

Moutier shows that it depends on the behavior of each individual citizen whether trust in the institutions is maintained. Democracy lives from every citizen who bears responsibility and does not divide. Therefore one has to make a big wreath here for the faithful forces. Yesterday they showed themselves to be great democrats: they were disappointed, but they accepted the clear defeat.