This article lists the cantonal executives of Switzerland. Each
canton
Canton may refer to:
Administrative division terminology
* Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland
* Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French
Arts and ent ...
of
Switzerland has its own
executive body, as well as
legislative body. The
Federal Council
Federal Council may refer to:
Governmental bodies
* Federal Council of Australasia, a forerunner to the current Commonwealth of Australia
* Federal Council of Austria, the upper house of the Austrian federal parliament
* Federal Council of Germa ...
is the executive of the Swiss federal government, and is included for purposes of comparison.
The cantonal executives are
collegial 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
''Primus inter pares'' is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group but is accorded unofficial respect, traditionally owing to their se ...
, 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
Basel-Stadt or Basel-City (german: Kanton ; rm, Chantun Basilea-Citad; french: Canton de Bâle-Ville; it, Canton Basilea Città) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of three municipalities with Basel as ...
). In other cantons the electorate only appoints members to the council and the presidency rotates according to seniority among members (e.g.
Zürich
, neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon
, twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco
Zürich () i ...
and also in the
federal council
Federal Council may refer to:
Governmental bodies
* Federal Council of Australasia, a forerunner to the current Commonwealth of Australia
* Federal Council of Austria, the upper house of the Austrian federal parliament
* Federal Council of Germa ...
).
The date of the elections is not the same as the date of the start of the tenure. For example the elections in
Aargau
Aargau, more formally the Canton of Aargau (german: Kanton Aargau; rm, Chantun Argovia; french: Canton d'Argovie; it, Canton Argovia), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of eleven districts and its capit ...
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