In Switzerland, the term municipal council () refers, depending on the commune and canton, either to the elected executive body of a commune (Gemeindeexekutive) or to its elected legislative body (Gemeindeparlament). In most Swiss communes, the Gemeinderat is the executive body, while a separate name is used for the elected legislature (where one exists). In the cantons of Zürich and parts of Bern, however, the term refers to the elected legislative body, with the executive going by another name such as Stadtrat.
Communes that do not have an elected legislature are instead governed by a communal assembly, a direct-democratic body open to all eligible citizens. The decision between an assembly and an elected parliament generally depends on the size of the commune. Functions In most smaller municipalities that do not have a parliament, the executive branch (and its members) is called the municipal council. It usually consists of five to nine members, one of whom holds the office of mayor (in some cantons also called mayor or chief magistrate; the term "mayor" is used in German-speaking Switzerland only in a historical context). Municipal councillors usually serve part-time or on a voluntary basis, while in larger cities like Bern or Zürich, they are full-time. Many small municipalities struggle to find enough candidates. In municipalities without a parliament, the municipal assembly assumes the role of the legislative branch. In most cantons, the municipal assembly is chaired by the mayor. However, in the canton of Bern, a municipal assembly president is specifically elected for this task, who holds the office for a legislative term. Usually town meetings are the governing body in the smallest municipalities.
Especially in cities in the Canton of Bern, the executive branch is called the municipal council and the legislative branch the city council; in smaller municipalities, the parliament is called the larger municipal council. In the majority of small municipalities in the Canton of Zurich, the municipal council is the executive branch; in the larger cities, however (City of Zurich, City of Winterthur), the municipal council or larger municipal council (Winterthur) is the legislative branch; the city council here holds the executive function.
Municipal executives are usually elected by majority vote, but in some cities and municipalities, such as Bern and Biel, proportional representation is used. In some municipalities, the mayor or city president is also elected by the people, while in others, this task is performed annually by the parliament. A rotating system is generally the norm.
The tasks and powers of municipal executives vary considerably. In many municipalities without a parliament, there are committees that perform some legislative as well as executive functions. Examples include finance committees (usually tasked with preparing the municipal budget) or social welfare committees (which in some municipalities are responsible for allocating social assistance). In some municipalities, the executive's role is limited to overseeing and managing the administration, while in others it is itself responsible for administrative tasks. The elected executive body is responsible for municipal policy and is divided into departments or divisions.
Overview by canton + Elected legislatures of communes by canton Canton Number of communes Name of elected legislature Number of members Term of the legislature Number of communes with an elected legislature Legal basis CH-ZH 162 communes in the canton of Zürich according to the law of the commune according to the law of the commune in practice between 28 and 150 members 4 years 13 communes Gemeindegesetz(Municipal law) CH-BE 342 communes in the canton of Bern according to the law of the commune in practice *French: Conseil de ville, conseil général *German: , minimum 30 members in practice between 31 and 80 members maximum 6 years in practice 4 years 13 communes CH-LU 82 communes in canton of Lucerne according to the law of the commune according to the law of the commune 4 years Gemeindegesetz(Municipal law) CH-UR 20 communes in the canton of Uri the communes of Uri don't have parliaments Gemeindegesetz(Municipal law) CH-SZ 30 communes in the canton of Schwytz according to the law of the commune (no parliament as of October 2020) CH-OW 7 communes in canton of Obwald the communes of Obwald do not have parliaments CH-NW The communes of Nidwald do not have parliaments, unless they adopt an organisation known as "extraordinary" () after merging with a school district. 11 communes in the canton of Nidwald 20 to 50 members 4 years Gemeindegesetz(Municipal law) CH-GL 3 communes in the canton of Glarus according to the law of the commune (no parliament as of October 2020) ' Gemeindegesetz(Municipal law) CH-ZG 11 communes in the canton of Zug only Zug has a parliament according to the law of the cantonminimum 20 members 40 members (in practice) according to the law of the commune 4 years (in practice) Gemeindegesetz(Municipal law) CH-FR 133 communes in the canton of Fribourg Conseil général/ from 30 to 80 members 5 years Loi sur les communes CH-SO Olten is the only commune in the canton of Soleure with a parliament. 109 communes in the canton of Soleure according to the law of the commune minimum 20 members according to the law of the commune Gemeindegesetz(Municipal law) CH-BS the authorities of the canton manage the commune of Bâle ( 18 GG/BS); Bettingen does not have a parliament. 3 communes in the canton of Bâle-Ville according to the law of the canton and the commune (Bâle: Grand Conseil; Riehen: ) according to the law of the canton and the commune (Bâle: 100 members; Riehen: 40 members according to the law of the canton and the commune (Bâle and Riehen: 4 years) Gemeindegesetz(Municipal law) CH-BL 86 communes in the canton of Bâle-Campagne according to the law of the commune 4 years Gemeindegesetz(Municipal law) CH-SH 26 communes in the canton of Schaffhouse except Schaffhouse: minimum 12 members (according to the law of the canton) between 13 and 36 members(in practice) 4 years (in practice) Gemeindegesetz(Municipal law) CH-AI 6 districts in the canton of Appenzell Rhodes-Intérieures no communes the districts of Appenzell Rhodes-Intérieures do not have parliaments Constitution cantonale CH-AR Herisau is the only commune of canton of Appenzell Rhodes-Extérieures with a parliament. 30 communes in the canton of Appenzell Rhodes-Extérieures according to the law of the commune (in practice ) according to the law of the commune (in practice 31 members) 4 years Gemeindegesetz(Municipal law) CH-SG 133 communes in the canton of Saint-Gall according to the law of the commune (in practice ) according to the law of the commune (in practice between 30 and 61 members) 4 years Gemeindegesetz(Municipal law) CH-GRcommunes according to the law of the commune according to the law of the commune (in practice between 15 and 21 members) 4 years Gemeindegesetz(Municipal law) CH-AG 210 communes in the canton of Argovie minimum 30 members maximum 80 members 4 years Gemeindegesetz(Municipal law) CH-TG 80 communes in the canton of Thurgovie according to the law of the commune minimum 20 members according to the law of the commune Gemeindegesetz(Municipal law) CH-TI 112 communes in the canton of Tessin minimum 15 or 30 members (depending on the population of the commune) 4 years CH-VD 309 communes in the canton of Vaud Conseil général (not elected, up to 1000 inhabitants) or conseil communal (elected)minimum 25 members maximum 100 members 5 years Loi sur les communes CH-VS 126 communes in the canton of Valais Conseil général minimum 20 members maximum 60 members 4 years Loi sur les communes CH-NE 31 communes in the canton of Neuchâtel Conseil général according to the law of the commune 4 years Loi sur les communes CH-GE 45 communes in the canton of Genève Conseil municipal depends on the population of the commune (by decree of the Council of State of Geneva) 5 years CH-JU 53 communes in the canton of Jura Conseil général bgcolor="#edd9ff" minimum 21 members according to the law of the commune Loi sur les communes
Legend:
The Canton of Neuchâtel does not have communal assemblies. Its legislature, the Grand Council of Neuchâtel, has 115 seats distributed in proportion to the population of the six electoral constituencies: Neuchâtel (35 seats) Boudry (25) Val-de-Travers (8) Val-de-Ruz (10) Le Locle (10) La Chaux-de-Fonds (27).
The enabling legislation of the cantons does require communes to have a conseil général with legislative powers, of 15 to 41 members, based on the size of the commune.
See also
Local council Municipalities of Switzerland
References
External links