Municipal council (Switzerland)

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In Switzerland, depending on the municipality, the term Municipal council (German: Gemeinderat) refers either to the executive body (Gemeindeexecutive) or the legislative body (Gemeindeparlament). [1]

Contents

Functions

In most smaller municipalities that do not have a parliament, the executive branch (and its members) is called the municipal council. [2] 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. [3] 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. [4] Usually town meetings are the governing body in the smallest municipalities. [5]

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. [6] 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. [7]

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. [8] 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. [9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Gemeinderecht, vszgb Gemeinde-Handbuch". www.vszgb-handbuch.ch. Retrieved 2025-12-19.
  2. ↑ "Gemeinden im Wandel – Führungsmodelle im Fokus". www.schweizer-gemeinde.ch (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  3. ↑ "Neue Führungsmodelle machen Gemeinden fit für die Zukunft - B'VM" (in German). 2022-04-13. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  4. ↑ "Gemeinderat". Stadt Bern (in German). Archived from the original on 2025-09-19. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  5. ↑ Wyl, Benjamin von (2025-08-11). "Gemeinde-Versammlungen: Wo Schweizer:innen über die Themen vor ihrer Haustür entscheiden". SWI swissinfo.ch (in German). Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  6. ↑ "Gemeinderat wie viele mitglieder?". alleantworten.de. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  7. ↑ Autorenteam (2022-01-20). "Gemeindeentwicklung in der Schweiz -Bevölkerungsworkshops" (in German). Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  8. ↑ "06 – Kommunale Exekutive – Startpaket für Gemeinden" (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 2025-12-20.
  9. ↑ "Kommunale Exekutive". www.alterspolitik.ch. Retrieved 2025-12-20.
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