Basel’s President of the Government makes the case for the ESC
Published: Monday, Nov 4th 2024, 13:10
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At a media conference on Monday, Conradin Cramer (LDP), President of the Basel cantonal government, spoke out in favour of approving expenditure for the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). The voters of Basel-Stadt will decide on November 24.
"Both at home and abroad, we are very interested in voting on this," said Cramer. The referendum comes after the small party EDU brought about the referendum at the end of October.
The question of whether the money was well invested could be asked. However, Cramer said that this was a case of value creation that was worthwhile. The voters will decide on an expenditure of CHF 34.9 million net. The money is earmarked for the accompanying program and infrastructure, among other things.
Christoph Bosshardt, Head of External Relations and Location Marketing, emphasized the importance of the event for the hotel industry and other sectors in the region, as well as for Basel's international image. A "no" to the edition would mean that the ESC would have to take place in a very "reduced and slimmed-down version", which would not allow its potential to be fully exploited, said Bosshardt.
A no vote would be a major loss of image
A rejection would be "negligent" and would result in a major loss of image for the city with regard to future events. Switzerland's reputation as an ESC host country would also suffer in this case, as Bosshardt went on to say.
It is unusual for the government to make a personal statement before the referendum in addition to the recommendations in the voting booklet. However, Cramer emphasized that this had nothing to do with the pro-committee's campaign, which was not supported by the canton.
One of the reasons for the press conference is that on November 24, three proposals will be put to the vote that concern his presidential department. In addition to the ESC edition, Basel-Stadt is also voting on the initiative for more musical diversity and on voting rights for foreigners.
©Keystone/SDA
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