«Le Centre»: debate between two young centrists

At the start of 2021, the Swiss political landscape undergoes a major turning point. The historic Christian Democratic Party (CVP) welcomes into its ranks the young Bourgeois Democratic Party (PBD). This merger, mainly in German-speaking Switzerland, is accompanied by a veritable earthquake as the party changes its name to Le Centre. Nathan Bender of the Jeunes démocrates-chrétiens (JDC) in French-speaking Valais and Sascha Zbinden of the Jeunes bourgeois-démocrates (JPBD) in Bern cross swords, sharing their visions and thoughts on this new party and the challenges it will face in the coming years.

Le Regard Libre: How did you experience this merger process within your respective parties?

Sascha Zbinden (SZ): I found it to be a very collaborative process. The JPBD and the Bernese JDC have been exchanging information for a long time, which allowed us to agree on a common path very early in the process. For us, it was actually always clear that this was the right path to take in the canton of Bern. We’re very pleased that both the Bernese PBD and PDC have agreed to a cantonal merger in the first quarter of next year with approximately 95%. This also confirms that, as a youth party, we are working in collaboration with our parent parties. We are now on the verge of founding the new cantonal youth party, and we are all very enthusiastic about continuing this joint effort. We also took this opportunity to review our overall structures.

Note: First of all, it’s important to remember that in Switzerland, political parties have federal structures, but they are primarily organized at the cantonal and municipal levels. Our youth chapters in Valais are the only ones that voted against the name change. (Editor's note: except for the people from Ticino, who had already changed their name to the Democratic People's Party, and those from Glarus, whose participation consisted of three people). This shows that our young people have a certain attachment to the Christian name. This very rapid process seemed to me to be like a marketing package: «A name and a logo—take it or leave it,» pushed by the party leader. One of the main arguments put forward was the observation that we were losing voters and the desire to win them back. Personally, I don’t get involved in politics to seek out voters, but to advance society in accordance with the values I believe in. An «action marketing»…is not necessarily the right way to stem a decline in voter support over the long term. As for the merger itself, that’s not something we’ve discussed. Simply because, unlike in Bern, the BDP has very little presence in Valais.".

So is it the decline of Christian democracy that is fueling the reluctance of the PDC, which remains deeply committed to this philosophical tradition?

Note: For me, the core value of the PDC is subsidiarity. It is reflected in federalism, but also in the wisdom of placing the decision-making body as close as possible to the issues at hand. This name change is a challenge for us, and opinions are divided. Personally, I am attached to the name “Christian Democrat.” It is the foundation of our party as well as our country and is rooted in a political philosophy that emerged in opposition to ideologies. Today, the PDC, just like the PBD, stands in contrast to certain parties that polarize politics—a trend that is not beneficial for our country or for public debate itself. In my view, centrist parties are a guarantee of stability and allow for comprehensive analyses of social issues. This is important today, when problems are becoming increasingly complex and there is a certain tendency to summarize them in 130 characters on social media.

Sascha Zbinden, isn't your party worried about becoming absorbed into the PDC, even though it no longer goes by that name?

SZ: To me, the situation is clear: in a survey of all PBD members, only a very small minority of those surveyed said they wanted to continue outside of a merger. Personally, I’ve never been afraid of this new centrist party, and I really hope our members aren’t either. It’s important for me to say here that each cantonal party must continue to decide for itself whether it wants to join this new brand or not. I am not at all concerned that the two original parties will be underrepresented in a new party. In the canton of Bern, the PDC is less strongly represented than in Valais, where we have no presence at all. This situation is interesting: this is precisely where I see an opportunity for the young party to play an active role in cantonal politics! However, it is in the nature of things that in a «merger,» the two merging parties appear to be «merged» into a new entity.

Given that the Valais, Jura, and Basel chapters of the PDC seem unconvinced by the name change and that the executive committee of the Graubünden chapter of the PBD has resigned en masse following the merger, isn’t this new party simply a German-speaking, urban creation, a major project driven by the Zurich-Lucerne-Bern axis?

SZ: Unfortunately, the board of directors of the PBD Chur resigned because it was not personally satisfied with the process. The members of that board seemed to feel closer to the PLR than to the PDC. We have to accept that. But as far as I know, the cantonal BDP and CVP are also in talks. At the meeting of Swiss BDP delegates, 95 of the 96 people present approved the merger with the CVP, and no cantonal chapters were absent. In the canton of Glarus, the merger will take effect in January. As for the urban-rural divide: I myself come from a very rural municipality. The merger is supported just as much by members in the cities as by those in rural areas within my party. The fact that members of the PBD in the canton of Bern—a largely rural party—overwhelmingly voted in favor of this merger already proves that the initiative does not originate solely from the cities. I am, however, not in a position to comment on the situation in French-speaking Switzerland or in the canton of Ticino. As a Bernese German-speaking Swiss, I would find that presumptuous. Especially since, as I said, I am «only» the interim president of a young cantonal party. It would be a shame to demonize the entire project at this point, since few cantonal parties have democratically decided not to change their names—which, incidentally, is their right.

Note: I’m not sure if this is a city-versus-rural issue. There were two factors at play in this vote: a name change and a merger. The merger makes perfect sense from a cantonal perspective, as in the canton of Bern, where the PDC and PBD need to form an alliance. And while I can understand that removing the term «Christian» was an important demand for the PBD, this should have remained a cantonal matter. At the federal level, the parliamentary alliance of the «Center Group» already allows us to achieve our objectives and in no way affects the names of the PDC, PBD, and PEV.

While both parties position themselves as centrist, the PBD tends to be more progressive on social issues, whereas that’s not the first adjective that comes to mind when thinking of the PDC. Do you think the traditional voters of both parties will continue to be won over by Le Centre?

SZ: I think it would be very unfortunate if we were now to overlook the many issues on which our parties share the same positions, just to highlight a few sociopolitical differences between the BDP and the CVP. Differences of opinion are part of politics. I am well aware that we can never satisfy everyone on every issue. But if we communicate openly and continue to treat all differing opinions fairly, we can also manage differences of opinion within our parties. Overall, after the many discussions over the past few weeks and months, I would venture to say that sociopolitical issues are also largely exaggerated by the media and that there is a broad consensus.

Note: I’m not particularly fond of the «family party» label. The PDC is the party of society—one that seeks comprehensive and reasonable solutions and fights against oversimplifications. The family is a central element of society that our party has supported and continues to support. In that sense, I understand why we’re described as the “family party,” but paradoxically, the PDC was one of the first parties to have a sustainable development plan. It is the party with a long-term vision for society that is not focused on a single issue, unlike certain ideological parties.

SZ: The PBD has championed this approach to politics since its founding in 2008. And Nathan Bender’s response gives you a glimpse of what unites the Center. Unfortunately, the PBD has not managed to establish an identity that goes beyond being «the decent SVP.» Working toward compromise and solving problems is simply less attention-grabbing than criticizing asylum policy without offering a solution. I’m sure Nathan will agree with me when I say that it’s generally harder to get elected on a civil and decent platform than by stirring up controversy. Being the party of compromise doesn’t mean you don’t have your own visions and positions—on the contrary! It means we don’t consider our position to be the only correct one, but that we learn from different perspectives and different people. Show me something more Swiss than that!

To wrap up with a look at the future, what will Le Centre look like in 2023, in the aftermath of the federal elections?

Note: It is probably too early to assess the merger; we may have suffered a few more setbacks. We now need to reflect on the party’s values and how it operates, at both the cantonal and federal levels. I hope for—and support—a strong center to ensure lasting stability for our country.

SZ: Let’s stay positive! The Center will be strengthened and, hopefully, remain as strong as ever as a party that holds Switzerland and its people together. In these times of polarized opinions on social media and political divisiveness, that’s probably exactly what Switzerland needs.

You have just read a debate from our print edition (Le Regard Libre N° 70).