A new proposal being debated in Vaud would see Lausanne stripped of its status as the cantonal capital. Here’s why supporters don’t want the “Olympic Capital” to be the region’s lead city.

New plan to change the cantonal capital of Vaud every decade

As part of the motion, a group of Swiss People’s Party (SVP), FDP and Green Liberal politicians argued that Canton Vaud should remove the clause in its constitution in which Lausanne is declared the region’s capital. The proposal was submitted to the Grand Council of Vaud on April 1.

Under the plans, the capital of Vaud would rotate every 10 years between the main centres of every one of the 10 administrative regions. Each city’s tenure will be determined alphabetically, meaning Aigle would be the first new capital of Vaud. 

Aigle would then be followed by Bourg-en-Lavaux, Échallens, Lausanne, Morges, Nyon, Payerne, Renens, Vevey and Yverdon-les-Bains, after which the cycle starts anew. Every January 1, a “major public celebration highlighting the district hosting the capital” will be held, the motion reads. However, it remains unclear whether the city would host cantonal institutions currently based in Lausanne, or would simply be the symbolic capital.

Lausanne no longer represents Vaud as a whole, petitioners argue

The group in favour of the change argued that giving each city a chance to serve as capital would “bring the capital closer to the people of Vaud.” Speaking to Watson, motion author Fabrice Moscheni (SVP) said it would "revive the bonds of belonging uniting the people of Vaud by restoring the lustre of this asset, this jewel that is the cantonal capital."

Moscheni noted that there is also a political element to the plan. He argued that in recent years, Lausanne is seen as “increasingly detached” from the region that surrounds it both culturally and at the ballot box. Since the 1990s, left-wing parties and initiatives have dominated politics in Lausanne, while right-wing groups hold sway in rural areas of Vaud. 

“[Lausanne] no longer has the lustre of yesteryear. It has lost its unifying quality,” Moscheni claimed, arguing that switching capitals would promote social cohesion between the city and its neighbouring districts. "We country people often feel unwelcome in the city by city dwellers," added FDP cantonal representative Bernard Nicod, though he also conceded that “the weakened ties between the people of Vaud are also partly our fault.”

Opponents label the plan an April Fool's joke

"When I saw this motion, I thought it was an April Fool's joke," Social Democratic cantonal official Julien Eggenberger told Watson. "A capital city is where the government and parliament are located. We're not going to move these institutions every 10 years; that would incur a considerable cost for taxpayers," she argued.

"A capital is not something symbolic. A capital is embodied in institutions," Eggenberger concluded. The proposal will now be debated and voted on in the Grand Council this summer. If it is approved, the idea will have to be approved by a referendum.