Municipal assembly, municipal council, City Council

In the canton of Zurich there are 160 political municipalities (as of 2026). The learning brochures say «over 150». In the past there were more. Some municipalities have merged; this is called a municipal merger. The largest municipality is the city of Zurich; many others are small villages. In all municipalities, citizens have a say by taking part in elections and popular votes. The ballot papers are counted by the electoral office.

In most smaller municipalities there is no parliament. The voters meet at the municipal assembly (Gemeindeversammlung). There they decide directly, for example on the budget, taxes or large building projects. The government of such a municipality is called the municipal council (Gemeinderat). It is headed by the Municipal President (Gemeindepräsidentin or Gemeindepräsident). «Bürgermeister» (mayor) is the term used in Germany, not in the canton of Zurich.

Careful, a common mix-up: in the city of Zurich it is the other way round! There the government (executive) is called the City Council (Stadtrat). It has 9 members and runs the city administration. The parliament of the city of Zurich is called the Gemeinderat (City Parliament) and has 125 members. Both are elected by the people, every 4 years. In Winterthur the parliament is now called the Stadtparlament (City Parliament). The learning brochures still call it «Gemeinderat». In larger cities the top person is called the City President (Stadtpräsidentin or Stadtpräsident).

Memory aid: In the CITY (Stadt) of Zurich, the STADTrat governs. There, the Gemeinderat is the parliament.