Grand Council of Geneva
Encyclopedia
The Grand Council of Geneva is the legislature
of the canton
of Geneva
, in Switzerland
. Geneva, styled as a 'Republic and Canton', has a unicameral legislature. The Grand Council has 100 seats, with members elected every four years. Members of the canton's executive, the Conseil d'Etat
, are elected a month later.
There is a 7% threshold
to representation on the Grand Council, with seven parties overcoming that hurdle at the last election
, held on 11 October 2009. Then, the Liberal Party
won a plurality, with 20 of the 100 seats. However, the centre-right 'Entente', to which the Liberals belong, suffered significant losses, primarily at the expense of the populist Geneva Citizens' Movement, who are the joint-second largest party, with the Green Party
.
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
of the canton
Cantons of Switzerland
The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the member states of the federal state of Switzerland. Each canton was a fully sovereign state with its own borders, army and currency from the Treaty of Westphalia until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848...
of Geneva
Canton of Geneva
The Republic and Canton of Geneva is the French speaking westernmost canton or state of Switzerland, surrounded on almost all sides by France. As is the case in several other Swiss cantons The Republic and Canton of Geneva is the French speaking westernmost canton or state of Switzerland,...
, in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Geneva, styled as a 'Republic and Canton', has a unicameral legislature. The Grand Council has 100 seats, with members elected every four years. Members of the canton's executive, the Conseil d'Etat
Conseil d'Etat (Switzerland)
In Switzerland, Conseil d'Etat is the name of the council constituting the cantonal government of French-speaking cantons. It is not to be confused with the Conseil des États which is a chamber of the Swiss parliament....
, are elected a month later.
There is a 7% threshold
Election threshold
In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...
to representation on the Grand Council, with seven parties overcoming that hurdle at the last election
Grand Council of Geneva election, 2009
The 2009 election to the Grand Council was held in the canton of Geneva, Switzerland, on 11 October 2009. All 100 members of the Grand Council were elected for four-year terms....
, held on 11 October 2009. Then, the Liberal Party
Parti Libéral Genevois
The Liberal Party of Geneva , abbreviated PLG, was a classical liberal political party in the Canton of Geneva. It was the cantonal branch of the Liberal Party of Switzerland until 1 January 2009, when the federal party merged with the Free Democratic Party to form FDP.The Liberals...
won a plurality, with 20 of the 100 seats. However, the centre-right 'Entente', to which the Liberals belong, suffered significant losses, primarily at the expense of the populist Geneva Citizens' Movement, who are the joint-second largest party, with the Green Party
Green Party of Switzerland
The Green Party of Switzerland is the fifth-largest party in the National Council of Switzerland, and the largest party that is not represented on the Federal Council.-History:...
.