The Grand Council of Geneva (french: Grand Conseil de Genève) is the

legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

of the canton of

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...

, in

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 ...

. Geneva, styled as a 'Republic and Canton', has a unicameral legislature. The Grand Council was established in its present form and with 100 seats in 1842, with members elected every four years. Its oldest ancestor is the

Council of Two Hundred The Councils of Two Hundred (; ) were the legislative authorities in four Swiss cities (Zürich, Bern, Fribourg, Basel), as well as in the independent Republic of Geneva prior to the French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a peri ...

(with 200 seats), founded in 1526."Histoire de Genève"
, Helvetia-genevensis Society. Members of the canton's executive, the Conseil d'Etat, are elected a month later. There is a 7% threshold that political parties wishing to be represented on the Grand Council must overcome. Seven parties did so at the most recent election, held on 15 April 2018. In 2018, on a lower turnout compared with 2013, right-wing populists lost previous gains, with the traditionally dominant parties, the Liberals, the Social Democrats and the Greens, increasing their votes.

Secretary

The office of the secretary of the Grand Council of Geneva is headed by the ''sautier''; originally, the role of the sautier was military, and he was the head of the watch. Overtime, the function changed and the sautier became the permanent secretary of the Grand Council. One of his duties include the regular observation of the

Geneva official chestnut tree The Geneva official chestnut tree is a horse chestnut tree planted in Geneva, Switzerland. Every year, the tree is observed by the secretary of the Grand Council of Geneva (the local parliament), and the opening of the first leaf is recorded and ...

, and the recording of the date of the opening of the first leaf on an official register. This event is then announced to the press and to the general public, indicating the beginning of the Spring.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Grand Council Of Geneva 1842 establishments in Europe Cantonal legislatures of Switzerland Politics of the canton of Geneva