Grand Council of Basel-Stadt
The Grand Council is the parliament of the Canton of Basel-Stadt, Switzerland. It meets in Basel Town Hall, and is the supreme legislative and supervising authority of the canton. Its meetings are usually held twice a month, are public and are broadcast live online via internet presence of the Large Council. The number of members was reduced due to the new cantonal constitution in January 2009, from 130 to 100. The current legislative period lasts from February 2013 to January 2017. Grossrat The last elections were held on 28 October 2012.
History
The term is used in the Grand Council of Basel since 1380. However, the former Grand Council was merely a council was convened at will from the Small Council ( actual power center ). Most of the (then ) 200 members of the Great Council were guild people, while the Small Council of nobles and patricians dominated. Between 1803 and 1833 (as the rural areas seceded as Canton Basel-Landschaft ) was the Grand Council, the supreme body of the Canton of Basel. After the founding of the half canton of Basel-Stadt in Basel, there was a Grand Council ( cantonal parliament ) and a City Council (City Council ). Since 1875, the Great Council all legislative matters, both the city of Basel and the Canton of Basel-Stadt controls. Next to the city of Basel, the Canton include two more municipalities to ( Riehen and rings ), which have their own municipal institutions and agencies. In the same year the right to vote was extended to all male Swiss because previously only the wealthy citizens were eligible to vote. This is the real birth of today's Great Council as a democratically-elected supreme body of the canton and the town.
1905 proportional representation and in 1966 the women's voting and election law was introduced. The new cantonal constitution of 13 July 2006 lays down the number of members of the Great Council in 100, which led to a reduction of seats in the elections in the fall of 2008.
Tasks
Like most democratic parliaments, the Great Council as a legislature responsible primarily for the legislation, in addition, there shall be responsible for overall supervision of the cantonal administration, the government and the judiciary from. It adopts all the basic and important rules in the form of laws ( Art.83 Canton Constitution). He puts the taxes fixed, granted loans and approves the budget and the state budget.
Urgent laws which can not be delayed, can be put into effect by a majority of two thirds of the members present immediately ( Art.84 Canton Constitution).
As a quorum shall be the Grand Council, if at least half its members are present ( Art.98 Canton Constitution). Transitional was here until the end of the Legislature 2009-2012 that fifty members sufficient.
Unless the Constitution or an Act provide otherwise, decisions shall be decided by a simple majority. ( Art.29 Rules of Procedure of the Great Council ).
The Grand Council is so far a state political unique in Switzerland, as it is the legislature of the canton of Basel-Stadt AND the city of Basel; He is thus responsible for cantonal as well as for local needs.
Like all the other parliaments of Switzerland ( including the two chambers of the Federal National Council and Council of States ) and the Basel Grand Council is a militia parliament. He usually meets twice a month in public session in Basel City Hall.
Most of the Grand Council to be treated templates are studied previously by commissions. The Grand Council knows 13 standing committees. Seven are property commissions, two are supervision commissions ( Control Committee and the Finance Committee ).
Grand Council decisions must be approved by referendum, when it comes to revisions of the Constitution, formulated initiatives, treaties with verfassungsänderndem content, or changes in the Canton area. The same applies to unformulated initiatives, which was rejected by the Grand Council or which faced a counter-proposal and for templates created from unformulated initiatives of the Great Council. (mandatory referendum, Art.51 cantonal constitution )
In addition, there is the possibility of an optional referendum against various decisions of the Great Council. For this purpose, the consent of 2,000 eligible voters within 42 days after the publication of the decision is required. ( Art.52 of the cantonal constitution )
There is also the so-called right of initiative. 3000 voters can demand a law, constitutional provisions or other decisions Grand Council the adoption, repeal or amendment. These initiatives must be filed within 18 months from the publication with the required number of signatures ( Art.47 Canton Constitution).
Parties
- Social Democratic Party SP: 33 seats
- Swiss People 's Party: 15 seats
- Green and basta! Green Alliance: 13 seats
- Free Democratic Party FDP: 12 seats
- Liberal Democratic Party LDP: 10 seats
- Christian Democratic People's Party CVP: 8 seats
- Green Liberal Party GLP: 5 seats
- People's Action against too many foreigners and asylum seekers in our home front: 2 seats
- Evangelical People's Party EPP: 1 seat
- Active Bettingen AB: 1 seat
Members
The number of members is 100 ( Art.80 cantonal constitution )
The members of the Grand Council shall be elected for a term of four years. ( Article 73 of the cantonal constitution ) There are a maximum of four terms of office possible, partially used periods of office as full are counted ( ART.82 Canton Constitution). The legislative session begins in the first half of February, after the elections. (Article 33 Election Law )
Suffrage
For the period from the 2012 elections were several changes in force.
List connections among parties are no longer allowed since the elections of 2012.
The quorum scheme has been amended. Previously had a party at least 5 percent of the vote in one of the four ( proportional representation ) constituency get to be taken into account in the allocation of seats. Now a separate by constituencies 4 percent quorum applies; a party is therefore to be considered in the allocation of seats of a proportional representation electoral district, if it has received at least 4 percent of the vote.
The allocation of seats, which now takes place in the cantons of Zurich, Aargau and Schaffhausen to the " double Pukelsheim » all constituencies of time, was rejected by the Basel cantonal parliament as difficult to follow. It remained at a segregated constituencies seat allocation, however, the Sainte- Laguë method instead of the Hagenbach -Bischoff method now used, which allows no favoritism large parties more.
This made itself felt in the election results of 2012. How about votes for the Social Democrats led to any significant increase in mandates, since it was by far the strongest party preference from the previous Hagenbach -Bischoff method.
Basel-Stadt thus is the first Swiss canton to apply the Sainte- position seat allocation process.
Seating arrangements
The regulation of many parliaments that MEPs sit according fractions in Basel does not apply.
The seats are always numbered starting at the innermost rows from left to right from the perspective of the Bureau and are first occupied in the order of constituencies: Grossbasel East, Grossbasel West, Klein-Basel, Riehen, Bettingen. The innermost places (1-27 ) are thus occupied by representatives from Grossbasel - east, on the rearmost seats, there are deputies from Riehen ( 89-99 ) and the representative of Bettingen (100). Established in this way constituency groups, the seats are then allocated according to party strength, the party with the most representatives first. The order of the representative of a party arises from the personal Stimmenergenis in the election.
Constituencies
The division of the canton into constituency is enshrined in Article 42 of the election law and were last amended at the beginning of the legislative period in 2009, as the number of seats of the Grand Council was reduced from 130 to 100. The canton is divided into five constituencies: Grossbasel East, Grossbasel -West, Klein-Basel, Riehen and rings. The distribution of seats among the electoral districts based on their population and is redefined by the Grand Council decision after a census. Each constituency is entitled to at least one delegate.
The constituencies are in principle proportional representation constituencies; however, is a constituency only one seat to whose representative is elected by Majorzprinzip.
Incompatibilities
Employees of a cantonal authorities and employees of the Canton of Basel-Stadt, which are instrumental in the formation of opinion in the Grand Council, shall not be a member of the Great Council. If they are elected to this body, they need to decide on their previous activities or their Grand Council mandate either. The absence of such a declaration shall be deemed a waiver of the Grand Council mandate. ( Articles 46a and 58a election law )
No swearing
For the Grand Council of Basel-Stadt, the special feature is that is omitted Anlobung or swearing a Neumitgliedes, in contrast to almost all other cantonal parliaments. Only in Appenzell Innerrhoden is also omitted such a vow.
Compensation
The compensation of the members of the Great Council is generally regulated by the Law on the Rules of Procedure of the Large Council; in particular the rates of compensation in the implementation provisions are held to the Law on the Rules of Procedure of the Great Council, which will be reviewed at the latest at the end of a term of office and set as necessary.
On February 1 2012 through the last changes were made.
A Grand Council member now receives per year in office, a basic amount of 6000 francs ( formerly 4000) and per half-day session in plenary an attendance fee of 200 francs ( formerly 150). For meetings in commissions also 200 francs to be paid. Members on the finance committee and the audit commission are additionally compensated with 2,000 francs per year in office.
The President of the Grand Council will also receive a one-time representation and expense allowance of CHF 12,000. He also receives an increased attendance fee of 400 francs ( formerly 300), as well as the presidents of the commissions and sub-commissions.
Neugeregelt was in 2012 and the loss of the attendance fee. Formerly this was the case when the MPs to session start or a later arranged acclamation name was not present. Since June 2012 must have a deputy from the beginning of the session, have logged more than 15 minutes after the start of the meeting; he is considered as present and entitled to the attendance fee. He also loses the claim, if he is not present when determining the quorum.
Since 2005, the fractions with contributions be compensated. Since 2009, each faction has a base amount per year of 10,000 francs to plus an additional amount per member, per year of 500 francs.
Current members
As of February 22, 2014
2010
2013
2013
2013
2013
2013
Group President ( CVP / EVP)
2013
Greta Schindler died on April 10, 2013. Their place Toya Krummenacher moved by.
As of August 12, 2013 moved by Pascal Pfister for Daniel Jansen, who submitted his resignation.
Also resigned to mid-August is Christoph Get stone. For him, Erich Bucher moved by.
Andreas Sturm joined at the beginning of December 2013 from his office. His successor is since January 8, 2014 Katja Christian.
As of January 31, 2014 ranged four Grand Council members their resignation, their successors took office on February 12, 2014: On Sabine Suter followed Georg Matt Mueller, for Urs Schweizer followed Mark Eichner, Andreas Albrecht followed Raoul Furlano and Daniel pride followed Stephan Mumenthaler.