Grand Council of Valais
Encyclopedia
The Grand Council of Valais is the legislature
of the canton
of Valais
, in Switzerland
. Valais has a unicameral legislature. The Grand Council has 130 seats, with members elected every four years.
In the last election
, on 1 March 2009, the Christian Democratic People's Party
retained its domination, but with slightly fewer seats. It forms a single bloc in the Grand Council with the Christian left
Christian Social Party
(PCS), although three of the PCS members sit with the 'Alliance of the Left', which also includes the Social Democrats
and Greens
. The second-largest party is the classical liberal
FDP.The Liberals
, which forms the main opposition on the right. The national conservative
Swiss People's Party
doubled its number of seats at the last election to twelve, making it the smallest of the four groupings in the Grand Council.
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 Valais
Valais
The Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley...
, 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....
. Valais has a unicameral legislature. The Grand Council has 130 seats, with members elected every four years.
In the last election
Grand Council of Valais election, 2009
The 2009 election to the Grand Council was held in the canton of Valais, Switzerland, on 1 March 2009. All 130 members of the Grand Council were elected for four-year terms....
, on 1 March 2009, the Christian Democratic People's Party
Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland
The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...
retained its domination, but with slightly fewer seats. It forms a single bloc in the Grand Council with the Christian left
Christian left
The Christian left is a term originating in the United States, used to describe a spectrum of left-wing Christian political and social movements which largely embraces social justice....
Christian Social Party
Christian Social Party (Switzerland)
The Christian Social Party is a political party in Switzerland. The CSP is more social democratic than the CVP. With the moderate Christian left as its background, the CSP commits itself to social democratic and environmentalist political solutions...
(PCS), although three of the PCS members sit with the 'Alliance of the Left', which also includes the Social Democrats
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
and Greens
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:...
. The second-largest party is the classical liberal
Classical liberalism
Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets....
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals
FDP.The Liberals is a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It is the joint-largest party in the Federal Council, third-largest party in the National Council, and second-largest in the Council of States....
, which forms the main opposition on the right. The national conservative
National conservatism
National conservatism is a political term used primarily in Europe to describe a variant of conservatism which concentrates more on national interests than standard conservatism as well as upholding cultural and ethnic identity, while not being outspokenly nationalist or supporting a far-right...
Swiss People's Party
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
doubled its number of seats at the last election to twelve, making it the smallest of the four groupings in the Grand Council.