With five months remaining until the referendum on the Jura reunification, partisans of the "yes" have been given a blow by an opinion poll jointly released last week by several Swiss media. The survey shows that 49% of Bernese Jura voters would reject unification with neighbouring Jura canton, while only 24% would vote in favour. Another 19% say they do not know what to do. Rejection of a unified Jura canton is stronger among younger voters.

The Jura has been divided since 1979 between the Canton of Jura (northern half of Jura) and the Canton of Bern (southern half, click left map to enlarge). Both halves are French-speaking, but the north has a Roman Catholic majority while the south is largely Protestant. The Jurassic movement has since 1979 mobilized for the separation of the Bernese Jura from the German-speaking Bern and its reunification with the north of Jura.

A referendum was agreed in 2012 by both cantons so that the citizens of the Canton of Jura and the Bernese Jura could decide if they want a merger or not. The vote is to be held on November 24th. A "yes" vote by both a majority of Jura citizens and Bernese Jura citizens would trigger a process leading to the establishment of a new, reunified Canton of Jura within the Swiss Confederation.

"Yes" campaign admits the need to put forward more arguments

Construire Ensemble -the official "yes" campaign, made up of Jurassic and Bernese Jurassic political parties who favour reunification- admits that a greater effort must be done in order to convince Bernese Jura citizens with solid arguments. The campaign says that the poll results are not dramatic since the referendum battle is still starting, although it acknowledges that the survey shows "a trend" against reunification.

Proponents of a reunified Jura argue that the Bernese Jura will be better represented than it is now in Bern. They underline the fact that there is an agreement by which the present-day Canton of Jura and the Bernese Jura will be equal partners in the new, merged Jurassic canton. The Bernese Jura has since 2006 its own elected assembly within the Canton of Bern and holds the right to have a representative in the government of Bern. Both German and French are official languages of Bern.

If the "no" vote wins in the Bernese Jura, each one of its municipalities can still hold an individual referendum in order to separately join the Canton of Jura. This would result in redrawing the border between both cantons without fully reunifying Jura's north and south.

Further information:

• RTS: Sondage: le Jura Bernois n'est pas favorable à la création d'un nouveau canton jurassien
• Nationalia: Canton of Bern clears the way for Jura's self-determination