"Embarrassing rainbow event" SVP threatens referendum against ESC in Switzerland
The SVP Bern has announced that it will launch a referendum against the loan for the ESC. SVP President Marcel Dettling hopes that other sections will follow suit. This would have far-reaching consequences.
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- The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will be held in Switzerland, and the cities of Zurich, Basel, Geneva and Bern/Biel have submitted bids.
- The SVP rejects the financial contribution for the ESC in Bern and is planning a referendum that could delay the decision.
- While Zurich and Bern are controversial, Basel and Geneva support the ESC, with Geneva having advantages due to its existing infrastructure and support.
The countdown for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 with Switzerland as the host city is on. In August, SRG will announce which city will host the TV spectacle with an audience of millions.
The following have already applied: Zurich, Basel, Geneva and Bern are joining forces with Nemo's home town of Biel. These locations have agreed to financially support the ESC as a venue.
However, not everyone is happy about this and there is resistance in the country. The SVP is railing against the ESC. In Bern, the Swiss People's Party has announced that it will hold a referendum against the cantonal loan of around CHF 30 million, writes the Tagesanzeiger.
This could mean the end of Bern as a venue. Regardless of whether the people vote yes or no. A vote would not be possible until next year due to the long deadlines in Bern. By then, however, SRG will have long since decided in which city it wants to host the show with an audience of over 180 million, the Tagesanzeiger continues.
SVP wants to pay out money to victims of bad weather instead of the ESC
It could be that the case of Bern and the ESC will not get stuck in the Bern referendum. SVP President Marcel Detting tells the Tagesanzeiger: "It is right that the voters can decide and not simply the classe politique deciding on this waste of money."
Detting doubles down: "The money would be better donated to those badly affected by the storm instead of being wasted on this embarrassing rainbow event."
ESC in Zurich, here too there are dissenting voices
On Monday, the cantonal council approved the contribution to Zurich's ESC candidacy by 105 votes to 62 with one abstention.
Criticism in the cantonal council was directed against both the event itself and the fact that the canton's contribution is to be taken from the charitable fund.
The SVP doubted that the ESC was a charitable event at all and therefore rejected the contribution. "It is simply not compatible with the conditions that apply to contributions from the charitable fund," said Elisabeth Pflugshaupt (SVP, Gossau).
In fact, the conditions exclude contributions to "performances, other productions, competitions and award ceremonies", among other things. At the same time, however, there is an exception clause.
The SP also only agreed "grudgingly", as Hannah Pfalzgraf (SP, Zurich) said. This was actually an economic promotion measure that belonged in the regular budget.
In some cases, the event itself was also cited as a reason for rejecting the contribution. Various speakers criticized the ESC for being instrumentalized or misused for political purposes. "In the context of the ESC, hatred of Jews has become socially acceptable," said Hans Egli (EDU, Steinmaur), referring to the protests in Malmö, Sweden, against Israel's participation in this year's event.
At its meeting last week, Zurich City Council approved a framework credit of CHF 20 million for the Eurovision Song Contest. The contribution was also controversial there.
Basel SVP speaks out in favor of the ESC
The situation is different in Basel. The local SVP is in favor of Basel as the venue. President Pascal Messerli has campaigned for the ESC, and other Basel SVP councillors are also in favor. "As a party, we will not be holding a referendum," says Messerli.
Basel could therefore gain momentum as a venue. However, Geneva is also still in the running.
There are many arguments in favor of Geneva as the venue
The city doesn't hold any bad cards. SRG already has a well-developed television structure there - just like in Zurich. Geneva Airport is practically on the doorstep. And: the citizens of Geneva are prepared to raise 30 million. So far, no one has mentioned a referendum.
