Jura celebrates his battle won by “persuasion”
Published: Sunday, Jun 23rd 2024, 15:40
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The population and personalities from all areas of the canton of Jura celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Jura plebiscite in Delsberg JU on Sunday. "Democratic logic has triumphed, the Jura struggle was won by conviction and not by coercion," said Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider during the official part of the event at the Théâtre du Jura.
The head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) praised the tireless efforts of all those involved at the time who, after decades of struggle, had made the official birth of the Canton of Jura possible on January 1, 1979.
Previously, on June 23, 1974, the seven districts of the historic Jura had approved the creation of the canton in a plebiscite with a narrow majority of 51.94 percent. Baume-Schneider also praised the generosity of the people of the canton of Bern, who had said "yes" to the departure of the three districts that formed the new canton in 1978.
The Secretary General of the Mouvement autonomiste jurassien (MAJ), Pierre-André Comte, one of the first activists, hoped that the youth of the Jura would take up the torch "to revive a patriotic spirit". He also addressed his words to the municipality of Belprahon BE, which is still trying in vain to join the Jura, as its large neighbor Moutier will do on 1 January 2026.
The challenges remain great: "The arrival of Moutier and the redefinition of our cantonal borders offer us the opportunity to make a fresh start, all together," said Rosalie Beuret Siess, President of the Jura Government and Minister of Finance, for whom the canton must rethink the way it operates.
Although Moutier's arrival had its price, it should above all be seen as a gift that came at the right time for a canton that has to operate in a complicated environment, said Beuret Siess.
©Keystone/SDA
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