The cantonal executive bodies of Switzerland are the executive branches of government in each of the 26 Swiss cantons. These bodies are typically composed of 5 or 7 members and operate as collegial authorities.
Each canton also has its own legislative body. For comparison, the Swiss Federal Council serves as the executive branch of the federal government of Switzerland.
General structure
Presidents of the executives
The above mentioned collegial bodies are formally chaired by a president. However those presidents are primus inter pares, that is a first among equals in the council; other than presiding over meetings and the ability to cast tie-breaking votes, the president only holds ceremonial powers.
In the list below, unless otherwise noted, the official name of the office of president of the respective cantonal executive is Regierungsratspräsident (Government council president).
Elections
The cantonal governments are directly elected every four years. In some cantons (e.g. Basel-Stadt), the voters can cast a presidential vote for a candidate they are already voting for as member of the government. The elected member who has also received the most votes for president takes that office for the entirety of their term on the council, i.e. 4 years. In other cantons the electorate only elects the council members, and the presidency rotates according to seniority among members (e.g. Zürich and also in the federal council).
The date of the elections is not the same as the date of the start of the tenure. For example, the elections in Aargau were held in 2020, but the tenure of the new Executive started on 1 January 2021.
↑ Kantonsparlament, Portal Kanton Thurgau Sie finden auf diesen Seiten vielfältige Informationen über das; Regierungsrat, den. "Regierung". www.tg.ch (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 17 February 2021.
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