This article lists the cantonal executives of Switzerland. Each
canton of
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
has its own
executive
Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to:
Role or title
* Executive, a senior management role in an organization
** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators
** Executive dir ...
body, as well as
legislative body. The
Federal Council is the executive of the Swiss federal government, and is included for purposes of comparison.
The cantonal executives are
collegial
Collegiality is the relationship between colleagues. A colleague is a fellow member of the same profession.
Colleagues are those explicitly united in a common purpose and respect each other's abilities to work toward that purpose. A colleague is ...
bodies, each with 5 or 7 members. They are generally called ' (Executive Council) in
German-speaking cantons and ' (State Council) in
French-speaking cantons.
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 ceremonious powers.
In the list below, if nothing else is 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 the voters have the ability to (among candidates they also voted for as member of the government) vote for a president. From all members elected to the government, the member that has then received most votes for president, is directly elected president and then remains in that office for the entirety of their term as member of the council, i.e. 4 years (e.g.
Basel-Stadt). In other cantons the electorate only appoints members to the council and the presidency rotates according to seniority among members (e.g.
Zürich
Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...
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.
List
The below list is up to date .
Notes and references
See also
*
List of cantonal legislatures of Switzerland
This is a list of cantonal legislatures of Switzerland. Each canton has a democratically elected cantonal legislature, as well as elected members to the Federal Assembly. The cantonal legislatures are elected for four years, except in Fribou ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Cantonal Executives Of Switzerland
*Executive