Grand Council of Aargau
Encyclopedia
The Grand Council of Aargau is the legislature
of the canton
of Aargau
, in Switzerland
. Aargau has a unicameral legislature. The Grand Council has 140 seats, with members elected every four years.
At the last election, held on 8 March 2009, the electoral system changed, which, along with the emergence of the Green Liberal Party
and Conservative Democrats, saw the number of parties in the legislature increase significantly. The Swiss People's Party
remained the largest party in the legislature, with 45 seats: more than twice as many as the next-largest party, the Social Democratic Party
. However, the four main parties all lost ground, with the Green Party
and smaller parties picking up seats.
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 Aargau
Aargau
Aargau is one of the more northerly cantons of Switzerland. It comprises the lower course of the river Aare, which is why the canton is called Aar-gau .-History:...
, 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....
. Aargau has a unicameral legislature. The Grand Council has 140 seats, with members elected every four years.
At the last election, held on 8 March 2009, the electoral system changed, which, along with the emergence of the Green Liberal Party
Green Liberal Party of Switzerland
The Green Liberal Party of Switzerland , abbreviated to glp, is a centrist Green liberal political party in Switzerland. Founded in 2007, the party holds five seats in the Federal Assembly....
and Conservative Democrats, saw the number of parties in the legislature increase significantly. The 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...
remained the largest party in the legislature, with 45 seats: more than twice as many as the next-largest party, the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
The Social Democratic Party of Switzerland is the largest centre-left political party in Switzerland....
. However, the four main parties all lost ground, 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:...
and smaller parties picking up seats.