Council of States committee wants to protect Marco Chiesa from investigations
Published: Tuesday, Oct 8th 2024, 16:20
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Freedom of expression is important in an election campaign. The responsible committee of the Council of States therefore does not waive the immunity of SVP member of the Council of States Marco Chiesa in connection with investigations into an SVP election campaign.
The Bernese judiciary is investigating whether the SVP campaign with the slogan "New normality?" from 2023 violated the anti-discrimination norm. The campaign used the slogan "New normality" to denounce criminal acts committed by asylum seekers. Criminal complaints were therefore filed in several cantons, including Bern.
The Attorney General's Office in Bern therefore requested that the immunity of Chiesa - who was SVP President during the campaign - and also of the then SVP National Councillor and SVP General Secretary Peter Keller be lifted. Chiesa was re-elected as a member of the Council of States in the fall of 2023; he has since relinquished the party presidency.
The Legal Affairs Committee of the Council of States (RK-S) did not lift Chiesa's immunity by 8 votes to 2, as announced by the parliamentary services on Tuesday. It found that there was a substantive connection between Chiesa's mandate, his leading position in the SVP and, in particular, the organization of the federal election campaign.
The free expression and formation of opinion is of paramount importance in a democratic election campaign. This also includes potentially polarizing statements. The interest in the parliament's ability to function should be given greater weight than the interest in criminal prosecution.
Next up is the National Council's Immunity Committee. If it comes to the same conclusion as the Council of States Committee, the case is closed. If it disagrees, the dossier returns to the Council of States Committee.
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