Referendum against Eurovision: Have Bern's host aspirations been dashed?

Zurich, Basel, Geneva or Bern after all? The decision on which Swiss city will host the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2025 will be made by the end of August. The joint candidature of Bern and Biel is in jeopardy. On Wednesday, the Swiss People’s Party and the Federal Democratic Union Party announced a referendum against the cantonal financial contribution to the event. According to the People’s Party, the cantonal government of Bern wants to set aside CHF30 million. Due to the referendum deadlines, it would be unclear for months whether canton Bern would be able to provide the money to organise the ESC. In view of the tight schedule, this could jeopardise Bern's bid. Parties and organisations in the canton have three months to collect the 10,000 signatures required for a referendum. If the cantonal government approves the contribution, the matter will go before the cantonal parliament at the beginning of September. Depending on the decision, the three-month referendum period will ...