Swiss canton of Jura celebrates triumph through ‘conviction’
Swiss Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider (centre in red jacket), who comes from canton Jura, walks next to Rosalie Beuret Siess, President of the Jura government and minister of finance (centre in white jacket).
Keystone / Jean-Christophe Bott
Citizens and officials from canton Jura on Sunday celebrated the 50th anniversary of a historic referendum that led to the creation of Switzerland's youngest canton.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Check out our selection of newsletters. Subscribe here.
“Democratic reason has triumphed. The Jura struggle was won by conviction and not by coercion,” declared Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider at an event at the Théâtre du Jura on Sunday.
She praised the tireless efforts of everyone involved in the birth of canton Jura on January 1, 1979 after decades of struggle.
Five years earlier, the seven districts of Jura had approved the creation of the canton in a referendum on June 23, 1974, by a narrow majority of 51.94%.
Baume-Schneider also praised the generosity of the people of canton Bern, who in 1978 agreed to the departure of three districts to form part of the new canton.
The secretary general of the Jura Autonomist Movement (MAJ), Pierre-André Comte, said he hoped the young people of Jura would take up the torch “to revive patriotic vigour”.
His words were directed at the commune of Belprahon in canton Bern, which is still trying to join canton Jura. It’s larger neighbour, the commune of Moutier, will officially join Jura on January 1, 2026.
Significant challenges remain, however. “The arrival of Moutier and the redefinition of our cantonal borders offer us the opportunity to make a fresh start, all together,” said Rosalie Beuret Siess, president of the Jura government and minister of finance. She firmly believes the canton must rethink the way it works.
Although Moutier’s arrival comes at a price, it should above all be seen as a timely gift for a canton that has to operate in a complicated environment, she added.
Adapted from German by DeepL/dkk/sb
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
What factors should be taken into account when inheriting Swiss citizenship abroad?
Should there be a limit to the passing on of Swiss citizenship? Or is the current practice too strict and it should still be possible to register after the age of 25?
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
This content was published on
The new regulation targets plants developed through new breeding technologies that don’t include transgenic genetic material.
WHO faces $1.8 billion budget shortfall amid US withdrawal
This content was published on
The 2026-2027 budget for the Geneva-based organisation has been reduced to $4.2 billion, on top of this year’s $600 million shortfall.
Swiss government proposes lifting nuclear power ban
This content was published on
While the centre-right and the energy sector are welcoming the Swiss government’s counter-proposal, the Greens are threatening to call a referendum.
Switzerland provisionally signs agreement on EU programmes
This content was published on
The agreement on EU programmes covers Switzerland’s involvement in initiatives like Horizon Europe, Euratom, ITER, Digital Europe, Erasmus+, and EU4Health.
Record-breaking winter for Swiss tourism driven by foreign visitors
This content was published on
A survey by Switzerland Tourism suggests this winter has outdone last season's record, largely thanks to foreign visitors and favourable weather conditions.
Swiss study predicts rise in global antibiotic use in farming
This content was published on
Global antibiotic use in livestock farming could rise by 2040, says a study by FAO and the University of Zurich. Switzerland expects minimal change.
Initiative calls for 36-week parental leave in Switzerland
This content was published on
The initiative proposes 18 weeks of non-transferable leave per parent to be taken alternately within ten years of implementation.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.