Government Council
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.
Table of contents
Welcome
Hello and welcome to Canton Zurich, a place that brings so many things and so many people together: town and country, tradition and innovation, Switzerland and the whole world. An extensive road and rail network cuts distances between cities and villages, built-up areas and nearby nature. Zurich is Switzerland’s economic powerhouse, a base for numerous international companies operating in financial services, life sciences and ICT and home to a robust SME sector. The airport is a hub for dozens of connections to Europe and overseas. Last but not least, Zurich is an important agricultural canton.
Between the Rhine and the foothills of the Alps, 1.56 million people live in our region. Every year thousands of girls and boys start their school career. They have access to one of the best education systems in the world, with everything from kindergartens to top-ranking universities. The canton directly benefits from this as well. The canton also provides stable legal structures, a solid financial policy, outstanding healthcare and a diverse range of culture and arts.
Together with my colleagues on the Government Council, I work to make sure that Zurich remains a prosperous canton: an attractive place to do business and a great spot for its residents to live.
Ernst Stocker, President of the Government Council of the Canton of Zurich
More about the Government Council
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For the term from May 1st, 2022, to April 30th, 2023, the Government Council elected Ernst Stocker as its president and Mario Fehr 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 Regierungsrat Ernst Stocker PDF | 3 Pages | Deutsch | 131 KB
- Download Interessenbindungen von Regierungsrat Mario Fehr PDF | 3 Pages | Deutsch | 232 KB
- Download Interessenbindungen von Regierungsrätin Carmen Walker Späh PDF | 3 Pages | Deutsch | 228 KB
- Download Interessenbindungen von Regierungsrätin Silvia Steiner PDF | 3 Pages | Deutsch | 140 KB
- Download Interessenbindungen von Regierungspräsidentin Jacqueline Fehr PDF | 3 Pages | Deutsch | 236 KB
- Download Interessenbindungen von Regierungsrätin Natalie Rickli PDF | 3 Pages | Deutsch | 232 KB
- Download Interessenbindungen von Regierungsrat Martin Neukom PDF | 3 Pages | Deutsch | 138 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
Brochure
Official 2022 photograph of the Government Council
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Ernst Stocker, President of the Government Council. Image source: Staatskanzlei Download picture «Ernst Stocker, Regierungspräsident.» -
Mario Fehr, Vice President of the Government Council. Image source: Staatskanzlei Download picture «Mario Fehr, Regierungsrat.» -
Carmen Walker Späh, Government Councillor. Image source: Staatskanzlei Download picture «Carmen Walker Späh, Regierungsrätin.» -
Silvia Steiner, Government Councillor. Image source: Staatskanzlei Download picture «Silvia Steiner, Regierungsrätin.»
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Jacqueline Fehr, President of the Government Council. Image source: Staatskanzlei Download picture «Jacqueline Fehr, Regierungsrätin.» -
Natalie Rickli, Government Councillor. Image source: Staatskanzlei Download picture «Natalie Rickli, Regierungsrätin.» -
Martin Neukom, Government Councillor. Image source: Staatskanzlei Download picture «Martin Neukom, Regierungsrat.» -
Kathrin Arioli, Chancellor of the Canton of Zurich. Image source: Staatskanzlei Download picture «Kathrin Arioli, Staatsschreiberin.»
