Democrats abroad, including those in Switzerland, have voted for Bernie Sanders as their candidate in the US presidential election. The senator from Vermont received 57.87% of the total vote, compared with 22.66% for former vice-president Joe Biden.
Sanders thus obtains nine delegates for the Democrat convention set to be held in Milwaukee in mid-July, against four for Biden, the Democrats Abroad Switzerland said on their website.
No other candidate broke the 15% delegate threshold. Elizabeth Warren in third received 14.33% of the vote.
The Democrats of Switzerland voted the same way. Sanders received 448 of the 967 votes cast (46.33%), well ahead of Biden (299 votes, 30.92%) and Warren (157 votes, 16.24%).
Voting took place on March 3-10 in Geneva, Zurich and Basel, as well as online. Democrats Abroad Switzerland had decided to keep polling stations open despite Covid-19. In Geneva, a disinfectant gel was placed on a table but most people present were shaking hands, according to a Keystone-SDA journalist.
In total, nearly 40,000 Democrats abroad participated in the primary, 15% more than four years ago. In 2016, Democrats abroad preferred Bernie Sanders to Hillary Clinton.
Overall, Biden holds a strong lead over Sanders, his lone remaining rival for the party’s nomination to face Republican President Donald Trump in November’s election.
Keystone-SDA/ts