Summary

After massive snowfall, the situation in Valais is normalizing: Major roads and rail routes are opening gradually. In the Canton of Bern, government council elections begin on March 29 – for the first time, parties must disclose their financing. A controversial art project at the Bern Minster for the Reformation celebration is being cancelled for fire safety reasons.

People

Topics

  • Infrastructure & Natural Hazards
  • Cantonal Elections & Party Financing
  • Culture & Heritage Protection
  • Security & Public Order

Clarus Lead

The Valais infrastructure is normalizing after the snow disaster: The Saastal railway is running again, the car ferry between Kandersteig and Goppenstein is open. Only the railway line between Goppenstein and Kampu remains closed until Monday – a derailed train cannot be recovered due to weather conditions.

In the Canton of Bern, the government council elections (March 29) are starting with mandatory disclosure of party financing for the first time: The centre-right committee (Centre/FDP/SVP) declares 416,000 francs, the red-green alliance 271,000 francs. Political scientist Marc Bühlmann criticizes the 30,000-franc threshold as being set too high – only three candidates exceed it.

A controversial art project by artist Thomas Hirschhorn at the Bern Minster for the 500-year Reformation celebration is being cancelled: The building insurance company GVB refuses approval due to fire safety concerns – escape routes not secured, risk of falling burning materials.

Detailed Summary

Traffic Situation & Avalanche Conditions

The Valais region is recovering gradually. Saastal railway traffic between Stalde and Saaspalen has been running again since 4 p.m. The car ferry (tunnel) between Kandersteig and Goppenstein is passable. Only exception: the railway line Goppenstein–Kampu remains closed. The reason is a derailed train that cannot be recovered due to ongoing weather conditions. BLS spokesman Colin Guvy expects resumption Monday morning. The avalanche centre reports hazard level 3 out of 5 for Lötschental, Gromontana and Leukerbad.

Bern Party Financing: First Transparency Balance

For the first time, Bern parties must disclose their income for the cantonal council election (March 29) – similar to the 2023 national council elections. The centre-right committee (Centre/FDP/SVP) mobilizes 416,000 francs for five government council candidates, of which 280,000 francs come from associations (homeowners, SMEs, trade, farmers, TCS). The red-green alliance (SP/Greens) with four candidates declares 271,000 francs, almost exclusively from cantonal parties (55,000 per candidate).

Surprisingly: The SP spends the most at grand council elections with 680,000 francs; the SVP declares significantly less and states it has incurred no significant costs – electoral district associations conduct campaigns independently.

Political scientist Bühlmann warns of transparency gaps: The 30,000-franc threshold is too high. Only three grand council candidates exceed it. Many candidates finance campaigns privately (estimated 20,000–25,000 francs per person) – thus below the reporting requirement. Result: "Not everything that one would like to see becomes truly visible." The national study of 2023 showed an average of 10,000 francs per national council candidate. Bühlmann regards the rules as "relatively clear" but calls for experience gathering before possible adjustments. He does not consider it significant that centre-right associations support centre-right parties.

Art Dispute at Bern Minster

For the 500-year anniversary of the Reformation, artist Thomas Hirschhorn planned an installation meant to represent iconoclasm and destruction – with cemented walls, stones and copper on floors and benches. The project polarized ecclesiastical-conservative circles who criticized the staging of "artificial ruins" in a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The building insurance company GVB intervened: It declined due to "comprehensive fire safety concerns". Concrete risks: escape routes not secured, installation reaches high on the wall, parts could collapse, burning materials could fall – particularly critical since church services would take place during this time. Hirschhorn withdrew and rejected compromises (fire-resistant materials).

Reformed Church (Christian Liechti): The installation would have been justified to show the "disruptive" side of Reformation movements. But: "That the Minster burns in a jubilee year, after we invested years in restoration – that troubles us" (allusion to Notre-Dame, Grindelwald). Alternative programming for 2028 remains open.

Key Statements

  • Infrastructure: Valais transport networks open gradually; one railway line closed until Monday due to derailment.
  • Elections: Bern government council election March 29 with new financing transparency – initial assessment shows transparency gaps at the 30,000-franc threshold.
  • Culture: Art project for Reformation cancelled for fire safety reasons; debate on risk management in world cultural heritage sites.

Critical Questions

  1. Evidence/Data Quality (a): Is the available information about the train derailment sufficient to reliably forecast operational resumption by Monday – or do short-term weather deteriorations play a role?

  2. Conflicts of Interest (b): To what extent do the large donation sums from centre-right associations (280,000 francs) actually influence future government policy on tax reforms or business settlement that Philipp Müller demands?

  3. Causality (c): Are high taxes really the main reason companies leave Bern (as Müller suggests), or do location, land availability and infrastructure play a larger role?

  4. Feasibility (d): Can police with additional presence measures (as Müller proposes) actually prevent perpetrators of violence when they appear masked and organized – or does it require upstream prevention?

  5. Evidence/Data Quality (a): Is the GVB's fire safety decision based on complete risk analysis – would an adjusted concept (different materials, spatial redesign) have offered genuine safety?

  6. Transparency (b): Why does the SVP declare "no significant costs" for grand council elections? Is there an interest in obscuring expenditures through decentralized electoral district associations to remain below reporting requirements?

  7. Causality (c): Is the thesis true that lower taxes (Müller) convince people to stay in the canton more than cultural or ecological measures (Trede) – or are both necessary?

  8. Feasibility (d): Can an art installation about the Reformation deliberately showing destruction really be realized "with low risk" in a fully-attended, valuable architectural monument – or was the project from the start a compromise without a clear location?

Further Reports

  • Winter Olympics: Valais athlete Gami Rast wins silver medal in slalom – first medal for the Swiss women's team at these games.
  • Weather: Night dry (approx. 1 °C Bern/Seeland); Friday cloudy, 20–30 cm fresh snow in Gstaad/Lower Valais; Rhone valley mild (9 °C).

Source Directory

Primary Source: Regional Journal Bern–Fribourg–Valais (SRF, 18.02.2026)

Verification Status: ✓ 19.02.2026

This text was created with support of an AI model. Editorial Responsibility: clarus.news | Fact-Checking: 19.02.2026