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The name change only needs to be confirmed by the assembly of delegates. “60.6 percent are a clear yes,” CVP president Gerhard Pfister told the Bundeshausmedien in Bern on Tuesday. “The rank and file of the party trusts the party leadership and its strategy.” CVP should now become “Die Mitte, Le Center, Allianza dal Center, Alleanza del Centro”.
A clear result: with 60.6% of votes in favor, a clear majority of #CVP This is the basis of the name “Die Mitte – Le Center – Alleanza del Centro – Allianza dal Center” pronounced. We are ready to go! 🥳➡️https: //t.co/PucrvZyA4e pic.twitter.com/zcCKZwVG7K
– CVP PDC PPD PCD (@CVP_PDC) October 27, 2020
Around 80,000 CVP Switzerland members received a voting booklet in mid-September to comment on the name change. 27.2 percent of all contacted participated in the vote. Pfister said this was high voter turnout for an internal party poll. Furthermore, it can be assumed that the silent majority is more in favor of the name change. In the case of the boys ‘CVP, the percentage of yes (67.1 percent) was slightly higher than that of the parents’ party.
Anonymous vote
According to Pfister, it is not possible to determine which regions of Switzerland are most in favor of a name change and which least. It was not done deliberately. The voting was done anonymously.
To change the name of CVP Switzerland, you now need a yes from the assembly of delegates, which is expected to take place on November 28 in Bern. According to the bylaws, two-thirds of all delegates must vote in favor of the name change.
It is unclear what happens if delegates reject the name change. According to the statutes, the result of the vote is binding on all party organs. However, the delegates could theoretically still deny their approval. At this stalemate, Pfister expects complaints against the name change.
Cantonal parties have until 2025
In any case, the strike vote is only binding for CVP Switzerland. Cantonal parties can use the new name or retain the CVP. It is suggested that they decide by 2025. The deadline is long because cantonal parties also have to come to terms with cantonal elections, Pfister said. But he is optimistic that many cantonal parties will adopt the new name. “Only from the canton of Valais have I received clear signals that they want to stick to the CVP name,” Pfister explained. Some exponents of the canton of Graubünden have made negative statements.
It has not yet been decided whether the cantonal parties will also adopt the new logo, consisting of orange parentheses, with the new name. “With the logo we have to look again for a conversation with the cantonal parties. The logo was not part of the ballot, ”admitted Pfister. The logo is always a process within a party, but: “The logo remains the free choice of the cantons.” By the next federal election in 2023, they want to appear with a uniform logo. That in turn would mean that the cantonal parties would stick to the CVP name, but could adopt the logo.
Merger with the BDP
With the name change, there is also progress in terms of party mergers with the Swiss BDP. National Councilor Andrea Gmür-Schönenberger, chair of the center parliamentary group, said she was looking forward to the merger: “What the parties are planning now has already been completed in the Bundestag with the mixed parliamentary group.” The objective should be for the party to win again in proportional representation.
What is still missing are the resolutions of the delegated assemblies of the two parties for a merger. The Swiss BDP is expected to hold its meeting on November 14. The merger could take place on January 1, 2021. By April 2021, the two parties plan to elect a new party leadership. The BDP has already accepted the name “Die Mitte”.
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