For the first time, financial details of election campaigns in Bern Canton have become public. Parties and candidates are spending over 3.5 million Swiss Francs on the current campaigns for the Cantonal Government and Parliament. This new transparency rule reveals significant contributions from associations to conservative parties, alongside a well-funded Socialist Party.
Key Takeaways
- Bern Canton introduces new transparency rules for election financing.
- Total campaign spending for government and parliament elections exceeds 3.5 million Swiss Francs.
- Conservative parties receive substantial donations from business associations.
- The Socialist Party (SP) shows the largest overall budget for parliamentary elections, funded primarily by members.
- Individual candidates for the Grand Council can spend up to 45,000 Swiss Francs.
New Transparency Rules Shed Light on Campaign Finance
The Canton of Bern has joined other Swiss entities, including the federal government, the city of Bern, and the municipality of Köniz, in implementing new rules for campaign finance disclosure. These regulations require parties, associations, and individuals to report campaign budgets exceeding 30,000 Swiss Francs.
Additionally, donations over 9,000 Swiss Francs must be declared, with details of the donors made public. The cantonal chancellery published these financial statements for the government and Grand Council elections on Friday. This marks a significant shift, offering the public an unprecedented look into the funding of cantonal election campaigns.
Fact: Disclosure Thresholds
- Campaign budgets over 30,000 Swiss Francs must be reported.
- Individual donations over 9,000 Swiss Francs must be declared.
Funding the Cantonal Government Race
The race for the Cantonal Government features two main political blocs: the conservative parties and the red-green alliance. Each has formed committees to manage their campaigns.
Conservative Bloc's Campaign
The conservative alliance, comprising the SVP, FDP, and the Centre Party, has allocated a total budget of 416,000 Swiss Francs for its campaign. Each participating party contributes 25,000 Swiss Francs per candidate. The SVP, with three candidates, contributes 75,000 Swiss Francs, while the FDP and the Centre Party contribute 25,000 Swiss Francs each.
Major financial support for the conservative bloc comes from various associations. The largest contributors, each providing 50,000 Swiss Francs, include the Bern Cantonal Trade and Industry Association, the Bernese SME Business Association, and the Cantonal Homeowners' Association.
"The transparency rules allow us to see how broad the support is for our candidates, coming from both parties and key economic associations," stated a representative of the conservative campaign committee.
Red-Green Alliance's Approach
The red-green government campaign has a budget of 271,000 Swiss Francs. The cantonal Socialist Party (SP) contributes 165,000 Swiss Francs for its three candidates. The Green Party adds 55,000 Swiss Francs for its single candidate.
The remaining portion of their budget consists of smaller, undeclared individual contributions, each falling below the 9,000 Swiss Francs disclosure threshold. Green Liberal candidate Tobias Vögeli operates with a 55,000 Swiss Franc budget for his campaign, largely funded by his party. SVP candidate Raphael Lanz, part of the conservative ticket, also runs a personal campaign with a budget of 30,000 Swiss Francs.
Understanding the System
The Bernese Cantonal Government (Regierungsrat) consists of seven members. The Grand Council (Grossrat) is the cantonal parliament, with 160 members. Elections for both bodies occur simultaneously, making it a significant political event in the canton.
Grand Council Elections: Party Spending
For the election of the 160 members of the Grand Council, parties are investing significantly more than for the government elections. The aggregate data paints a clear picture of financial strength among the parties.
SP Leads in Spending
The Socialist Party, including its youth wing Juso, has the largest overall budget for the Grand Council elections, totaling 680,000 Swiss Francs. The majority of this funding comes from the main party's coffers. The SP reports no large individual donations over 9,000 Swiss Francs. Their campaign relies on membership fees, smaller donations, and contributions from elected officials.
SP Funding Model
- 680,000 Swiss Francs: Total SP budget for Grand Council.
- Funded by: Membership fees, small donations, contributions from office holders.
- No declared large individual donations.
SVP's Decentralized Strategy
In contrast, the SVP, known for its strong national financial standing, has declared only 182,000 Swiss Francs for the Grand Council elections. The cantonal party itself submitted no budget. The party's managing director, Aliki Panayides, explained that the SVP is "very decentralized." Many election expenses are borne by local party chapters and individual candidates, with none of these individual budgets exceeding the 30,000 Swiss Francs disclosure limit.
Other parties' budgets for the Grand Council generally reflect their voter strength. Beyond political parties, the cantonal trade union federation is also running a significant campaign, advocating for union members running on SP and Green Party tickets.
Individual Candidates and Their Budgets
Out of 2,261 candidates for the Grand Council, only three individuals have declared campaign budgets exceeding 30,000 Swiss Francs. These are incumbent FDP Grand Councilor Christoph Zimmerli from Bern City, and new candidates Andreas Schlecht (SVP) and Ramon Kaltenrieder (FDP).
Top Spenders for Grand Council
- Andreas Schlecht (SVP): A real estate agent from Mühleberg, Schlecht has the largest individual budget at 45,000 Swiss Francs. He stated his funding comes from many small donations, party contributions, and associations, with a portion self-financed. Schlecht explained his high budget is due to his large Mittelland-Nord electoral district, which has widely dispersed communities. He plans a comprehensive campaign including flyers, small chocolates, posters, advertisements, direct mail, and online/social media presence.
- Christoph Zimmerli (FDP): The incumbent FDP Grand Councilor has a 42,000 Swiss Franc campaign budget. He emphasized his responsibility as an incumbent to his party. Half of Zimmerli's campaign is funded by the regional employers' association, where he serves as president. The other half comes from smaller donations from acquaintances and his own funds.
- Ramon Kaltenrieder (FDP): This trustee from Kirchlindach received a 10,000 Swiss Franc donation from the private bank Bordier & Cie. Kaltenrieder noted that the bank's Bern branch is part of his business network.
Largest Donors and Overall Spending
Across the entire Bernese election campaign, only seventeen individual donations exceeding 9,000 Swiss Francs were declared. This assumes all candidates complied with the new disclosure requirements. Unlike other countries where illegal campaign funding can lead to legal action, Bern Canton currently has no penalties for non-compliance.
All large donations went to conservative parties. Besides the well-known political associations, the private bank Bordier & Cie from Geneva is also listed as a donor. The combined declared expenditures for the Bernese Grand Council and government elections total just over 3.4 million Swiss Francs. Including expenses from candidates and local parties with smaller, undeclared budgets, the total campaign costs are likely between 3.5 and 4 million Swiss Francs.