Due to changes in the population living in the canton of Berne, only 24 seats will be allocated here in the forthcoming legislature, which is one less than previously.

A larger women's coalition calls for more women to be elected to parliament on 20 October. A statistical analysis of candidates shows that for the first time over 40 percent of candidates for the National Council are women. The proportion of women has risen in almost all cantons and on the electoral lists for nearly all parties.

651 candidates from the Canton of Bern
In the Canton of Berne, 651 candidates are standing for election, of which 274 are women and 377 are men. The proportion of women is around 42.1 percent.

Two candidates from the region
The administrative district of Obersimmental-Saanen has two candidates for the National Council, with Erich von Siebenthal (SVP, previously) and Michael Gehret (glp, new). As Switzerland is a democratic country, it’s important for the people to make considered and confident decisions when engaging with politics, says Michael Gehret from Feutersoey, commenting on his motivations for the candidacy. National Council member Erich von Siebenthal hasn’t grown tired of politics either. Even after 12 years, he emphasises that there are still many areas he’d like to be involved in. 

Based on AvS/Anita Moser
Translated by Justine Hewson