Vote threats boost Geneva's Eurovision chances

Geneva’s chances of hosting next year’s Eurovision Song Contest have been given a boost after the Swiss People’s Party branches in Bern and Zurich say they may launch a referendum against the expenditure.

The mere threat of a vote could mean that both cities will be rejected as a result will take too long.

The quickest one could be arranged for would be November. But the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation would have had to have made a decision by then. 

In both cities, the Swiss People’s Party say the money would be better spent elsewhere, despite the likelihood of the event actually making money.

Comment from party members also suggest there’s unhappiness about the show’s openness to members of the LGBTQ community. 

However, the party doesn’t speak with one voice. It’s not opposed in either Basel or Geneva. That will help the candidacy of those cities.

More from Bitesize News

  • More plastic pollution in Lake Geneva

    Lake Geneva is up to 656 times more polluted by microplastics than previously thought, according to a new University of Lausanne and EPFL study

  • Popular summer season for swimming

    Swimming pools across French-speaking Switzerland have recorded unprecedented visitor numbers this summer, driven by four separate heatwaves

  • More vote funding for end of this month

    Nearly CHF 8 million has been declared for the two federal votes on 27 September, with the neutrality initiative alone drawing CHF 5.5 million

  • Gender pay gap still significant

    Switzerland's gender pay gap has narrowed slightly, but the unexplained portion still amounts to around CHF 640.- per month for women

  • Electric scooter ban

    Starbucks has banned electric scooters from all its Swiss branches, and Coop and Migros have followed suit

  • Latest on weekend rave shooting

    Swiss police have escalated the Aarau shooting to an international manhunt, with Fedpol launching arrest warrants through national and international systems

Download our app

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play