Thun parties target SP seat in fresh municipal elections
Saturday 7th November 2026 on 14:01 in
Switzerland
Thun voters will elect the city’s executive and parliament again at the end of November, with the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) seeking to reclaim a seat won by the Social Democratic Party (SP) in July, SRF reports.
The vote comes four months after a replacement election. Long-serving mayor Raphael Lanz was elected to the Bern cantonal government last spring, leaving his post vacant and prompting the July poll. The November elections are the scheduled full renewal of Thun’s government and parliament.
Twenty-seven candidates, 14 women and 13 men, are running for five seats on the executive council. All current members are seeking re-election. SVP and its ally, the Free Democratic Party (FDP), are contesting the seat held by SP councillor Claudius Domeyer, whose July victory restored a centre-left majority lost in 2022. A joint list of the Green Liberals, Evangelical People’s Party, Federal Democratic Union, Centre Party and non-party candidates aims to win one or two seats.
Current mayor Eveline Salzmann of the SVP has no opponent for the mayoralty. She is expected to be declared elected without a vote, provided she wins re-election to the executive council. Salzmann became the first woman to hold the office after defeating Green candidate Andrea de Meuron in a second round of voting in the summer.
Housing and traffic are among the main campaign issues. Thun has a vacancy rate of 0.08 per cent, the lowest of any Swiss city, according to SRF. SP councillor Katharina Ali-Oesch says she wants planned housing projects to move ahead quickly if re-elected. Domeyer wants to regulate short-term apartment rentals.
Traffic congestion in the city centre and along the right-hand shore of Lake Thun has been a longstanding concern. SVP councillor Reto Schertenleib wants to improve cycling infrastructure, while de Meuron has highlighted traffic challenges, particularly around the railway station.
All 40 current members of Thun’s city parliament are also running again. The candidates are grouped into three electoral alliances: the SVP, FDP and Democratic Alternative; the SP, Greens and Young Greens of Thun; and the Green Liberals, Centre Party, non-party list, Evangelical People’s Party and Federal Democratic Union.