Candidates and assistants, winners and losers, joy and despair – national elections have it all. Ten photographers followed last year’s elections in Switzerland, catching the action in memorable images.
They attended party gatherings out in the country and watched candidates in public debates and personal publicity stunts. They trained their lenses on politicians at press conferences and at work.
What’s more, accredited photographers enjoy the privilege of unrestricted access to both chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. This is unique in Europe.
Selecting the images was harder than expected. The organisers of the exhibition in parliament’s media centre in Bern had to choose from more than 100 photos, but after two hours of discussion they managed to agree on only three. An external photographer from Zurich was brought in to ensure the exhibition would be ready on time in March.
(Image selection: Ester Unterfinger; Text: Urs Geiser)