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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.
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 |
- Download Interessenbindungen von Regierungspräsident Mario Fehr PDF | 3 Pages | Deutsch | 140 KB
- Download Interessenbindungen von Regierungsrätin Natalie Rickli PDF | 2 Pages | Deutsch | 130 KB
- Download Interessenbindungen von Regierungsrat Ernst Stocker PDF | 3 Pages | Deutsch | 226 KB
- Download Interessenbindungen von Regierungsrätin Carmen Walker Späh PDF | 3 Pages | Deutsch | 234 KB
- Download Interessenbindungen von Regierungsrätin Dr. Silvia Steiner PDF | 3 Pages | Deutsch | 134 KB
- Download Interessenbindungen von Regierungsrätin Jacqueline Fehr PDF | 3 Pages | Deutsch | 238 KB
- Download Interessenbindungen von Regierungsrat Dr. Martin Neukom PDF | 3 Pages | Deutsch | 132 KB
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
