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Baschi Dürr did not even wait for the final results. More than 1,000 votes separated him from Esther Keller (GLP) on Sunday afternoon, and that’s why the liberal knew: it won’t be enough. He stood in front of the microphones and admitted defeat even before the final result was announced. In the end, around 1,500 votes made the difference between the elected police director and the Green Liberal candidate, who garnered 28,710 votes.
Stephanie Eymann (LDP) as the big winner with 31,925 votes, followed by Kaspar Sutter (SP) and Keller, these are the new members of the Basel government. They are joined by Lukas Engelberger (CVP), Conradin Cramer (LDP), Tanja Soland and Beat Jans (both SP), who made the choice on the first attempt. With a high turnout of 55.4 percent, the people of Basel voted for a younger, more feminine government.
The poor result of Heidi Mück
But also in party politics, things are wavering. It is the end of the red-green majority that has existed since 2005. Heidi Mück from Basta finished in fifth place. Basta co-chair Sina Deiss says almost apologetically that four weeks would not have been long enough to announce her candidate, who had entered the race after the poor performance of Elisabeth Ackermann (Greens) in the first vote.
But that is not the whole truth: Mück rather failed because of his extreme positions. During the election campaign, for example, he said the nationalization of the pharmaceutical industry was worth considering. Mück is well known in Basel-Stadt: four years ago she sniffed a seat of government. But that was also before the Green Alliance publicly split, and also before his party, Basta, announced that it would remain in opposition.
Historic low for the FDP
The Liberals are now represented twice, but the FDP’s sister party has reached a record low with Dürr’s election to the government. In the last five years the party has already lost its seat in the National Council and has had to accept a reduction of the parliamentary group from twelve to seven. “I am president of the party and, of course, I am responsible for this result,” writes Luca Urgese (FDP) on Twitter. This result will be discussed tirelessly.
For green liberals, however, it is already the second blow after the success of
Katja Christ in last year’s National Council elections: Esther Keller, who has only been a Grand Counselor for a year and a half, enters the government. This is the new Basel 3-1-3 Formula. Three burghers, three leftists and Keller from the LPG, who is not easy to locate. On the one hand because the game does not fit into the classic scheme, on the other hand because Keller has not yet given himself a clear profile.
The basement will probably host the construction department
The distribution of the departments offers an initial stress test for the new constellation. The previous ones have not sent any signal that they want to turn their backs on their offices. Engelberger is expected to remain director of health, director of education for Cramer and director of finance for Soland.
The Social Democrats will likely try to keep the economic, social and environmental department (WSU) in their ranks. This is confirmed by the newly elected district president Beat Jans in an interview with the bz, which means that the left Esther Keller is left with the construction and transportation department. A department in which you can – and must – demonstrate your environmental profile.
“We take Esther Keller’s word for it when it comes to climate protection,” says SP President Pascal Pfister, for example. This bill is unlikely to be thwarted by the bourgeois councils of government. “I certainly won’t offer a hand to power tactics,” says Eymann, who will likely head the police department in the future.
Yesterday, Eymann and Sutter were relieved by their own results, but at the same time regretted losing the majority in government. Otherwise, the newly elected will practice the masterful omertà and demonstrate that they are ready for all tasks.
