Government Council

Die sieben Regierungsmitglieder und die Staatschreiberin stehen auf dem Helikopterlandeplatz des Kantonsspital Winterthur

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The Government Council is the supreme executive authority in the canton. It upholds the constitution and enforces the laws, ordinances, and decisions of the Cantonal Parliament. Its seven full-time members are elected by popular majority vote every four years.

Members

Natalie Rickli

President and Head of the Department of Health

More about Natalie Rickli
Regierungspräsidentin Natalie Rickli

Dr. Martin Neukom

Vice President and Head of the Building Department

More about Martin Neukom
Regierungsrat Dr. Martin Neukom

Ernst Stocker

Head of the Department of Finance

More about Ernst Stocker
Regierungsrat Ernst Stocker

Mario Fehr

Head of the Department of Security

More about Mario Fehr
Regierungsrat Mario Fehr

Carmen Walker Späh

Head of the Department for Economic Affairs

More about Carmen Walker Späh
Regierungsrätin Carmen Walker Späh

Dr. Silvia Steiner

Head of the Department of Education

More about Silvia Steiner
Regierungsrätin Dr. Silvia Steiner

Jacqueline Fehr

Head of the Department of Justice and Home Affairs

More about Jacqueline Fehr
Regierungsrätin Jacqueline Fehr

More about the Government Council

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For the term from May 1st, 2024, to April 30th, 2025, the Government Council elected Natalie Rickli as its president and Martin Neukom as its vice president.

The order in which members are elected president depends on how long they have been in office. Newly elected members of the Government Council must usually wait until all members who have been in office longer than themselves have been president. Only then can they be elected vice president and subsequently president of the Government Council.

If several members were elected into the Government Council on the same date, the older member is given priority.

In certain justified cases, the Government Council can make an exception to this rule. If, for example, a member takes over a new department at the same time, their presidency can be postponed by one year.

Department Head Proxy
Department of Justice and Home Affairs Jacqueline Fehr Natalie Rickli
Department of Security Mario Fehr Carmen Walker Späh
Department of Finance Ernst Stocker Mario Fehr
Department for Economic Affairs Carmen Walker Späh Martin Neukom
Department of Health Natalie Rickli Dr. Silvia Steiner
Department of Education Dr. Silvia Steiner Jacqueline Fehr
Building Department Dr. Martin Neukom
Ernst Stocker
Chancellery Dr. Kathrin Arioli Dr. Peter Hösli

The Government Council's duties

The Government Council is the supreme executive authority in the canton. Its seven full-time members are elected by popular majority vote every four years and take decisions together as a collegial body. The Government Council’s duties include:

  • Drafting laws, amendments to the constitution and legislation and spending bills for approval by the cantonal parliament or
    the electorate
  • Managing a cantonal administration with about 33,000 staff
  • Determining the interim and long-term goals of government policies
  • Supervising the various authorities
  • Preparing the budget
  • Representing the canton within Switzerland with respect to the Confederation and other cantons
  • Negotiating international and intercantonal agreements
  • Ruling on administrative appeals
  • Recruiting top-level administrative staff

Chancellor

Dr. Kathrin Arioli

Chancellor of the Canton of Zurich

More about Kathrin Arioli
Staatsschreiberin Dr. Kathrin Arioli

Brochure

Government Council 2024/2025

Government Council 2024/2025
Government Council 2024/2025

Government Council Communications

Andreas Melchior

Spokesperson of the Goverment Council

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Andreas Melchior

Leitlinien zur Kommunikation

Leitlinien zur Kommunikation
Leitlinien zur Kommunikation
Publisher
Staatskanzlei
Publication date
September 2017
Author
Kommunikationsabteilung des Regierungsrates