Constitution of the Canton of Valais (Cst. cant.) (KV)

1. Valais constitutes a sovereign democratic republic within the confines of the Federal Constitution and as a canton incorporated into the Swiss Confederation.

2. Sovereignty resides with the people and is exercised directly by the active citizens and indirectly by the authorities established by the constitution.

1. Freedom of belief and conscience and the free exercise of religious acts are guaranteed.

2. Religious communities freely and independently decide on their teachings and worship. They independently determine their organization and administration within the confines of public law.

3. The Roman Catholic Church and the Evangelical Reformed Church are recognized as public-law institutions with their own legal personality. Other denominations are subject to the provisions of private law but may be publicly recognized by law according to their significance in the canton.

4. To the extent that the parishes of the Roman Catholic Church and those of the Evangelical Reformed Church cannot cover local church worship expenses from their own resources, the municipal communities shall bear these expenses while respecting freedom of belief and conscience. The canton may grant contributions to the publicly recognized churches.

5. The law regulates the application of these provisions.

1. All citizens are equal before the law.

2. In Valais, there is no privilege based on place, birth, person, or family.

1. Personal freedom and the inviolability of the home are guaranteed.

2. No one may be prosecuted or arrested, and no house search may be conducted, except in cases provided for by law, and in the forms prescribed by the same.

3. Those unlawfully arrested as well as those wrongfully convicted shall be appropriately compensated by the state. The law governs the application of this principle.

1. No one shall be deprived of their lawful judge.

1. Property is inviolable.

2. This principle may only be deviated from for reasons of public benefit, through fair compensation, and in the forms prescribed by law.

3. However, the law can specify cases in which land owned by municipalities or communities must be transferred without compensation for reasons of public benefit.

1. No property can be burdened with an inalienable ground rent.

1. Freedom of expression in speech and writing as well as freedom of the press are guaranteed. The law penalizes the abuse thereof.

1. The right to petition is guaranteed. The exercise of this right is determined by law.

1. The right to free establishment, freedom of association and assembly, the free exercise of any profession in the arts and sciences, as well as the freedom of trade and business are guaranteed.

2. The exercise of these rights is regulated by law.

1. Every citizen is subject to compulsory military service.

2. The application of this principle is regulated by federal and cantonal legislation.

1. The French and German languages are declared as national languages.

2. The principle of the equality of both languages shall be implemented in legislation and administration.

1. Public education, as well as private primary education, are under the supervision and oversight of the State.

2. Primary education is compulsory and free of charge in public schools.

3. The freedom to teach is guaranteed, subject to legal provisions concerning primary education.

1. The State must grant the family, as the fundamental unit of society, the necessary protection and support for the development of each of its members.

2. It reviews legislation in terms of its impact on the living conditions of the family and adjusts it accordingly.

1. The State enacts regulations concerning worker protection and the safeguarding of workers' freedom.

1. The state enacts regulations for the protection against large predators and for the limitation and regulation of their population. The promotion of the large predator population is prohibited.

1. The state promotes and supports, in accordance with the financial resources available to it

a) agriculture, industry, commerce, and, in general, all branches of the economy that are of interest to the canton;

b) vocational education for agriculture, commerce, industry, and crafts;

c) animal husbandry, dairy farming, viticulture, fruit cultivation, alpine farming, land improvements, forestry, and agricultural and vocational cooperatives.

1. The state organizes and supports livestock insurance.

2. It may also introduce other types of insurance, particularly mandatory movable and immovable property fire insurance.

1. The state promotes the development of the road network and other means of transportation.

2. It furthermore provides support through contributions for the regulation of the Rhône river as well as for the regulation and reinforcement of streams and torrents.

1. The state establishes or supports educational institutions for neglected children through contributions, as well as other charitable institutions.

1. The state shall promote and support the establishment of district or regional hospitals, clinics, and medical facilities.

2. It may also establish a similar cantonal institution.

1. The financial involvement of the state in the cases provided for by Articles 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19 shall be determined by a special law.

1. The state, municipalities, and public law associations of municipalities endowed with legal personality are liable to third parties for the acts of their agents.

2. The agent is liable to the public community in whose service he is employed for the damage he directly or indirectly causes to it in the exercise of his official duties through intentional or grossly negligent breach of his official duties.

3. The law governs the application of these principles.

1. The removal or dismissal of a public official or employee can only occur after they have been heard or summoned, and based on a reasoned decision by the authority that appointed them.

1. State Expenditures Shall Be Met

a) from the revenues of state property;

b) from the proceeds of sovereign rights;

c) from fiscal fees and various revenues;

d) from federal compensations, contributions, and distributions;

e) from taxes.

1. State and municipal taxes are established by legislation in accordance with the principles of progression and a certain minimum standard of living.

1. The State budget must show an operating surplus and a financing surplus to ensure investments and third-party investment participation necessary for the harmonious development of the canton, as well as guarantee the repayment of any balance sheet deficit and debt.

2. If the accounts deviate from the budget and show an operating deficit or a financing shortfall, the repayment of these deficits must be planned in the budget for the year after next.

3. The State Council shall propose to the Grand Council, before submitting the draft budget, the amendment of those legal provisions that do not fall within its own competence and are necessary to comply with this principle.

4. These amendments shall be decided by the Grand Council by decree in the same session in which it approves the budget.

5. Legislation governs the application of the principles set out in this article. It may provide for exceptions based on economic conditions or in the event of natural disasters or other extraordinary events.

1. The canton is divided into districts.

2. The districts are formed from municipalities.

3. The Grand Council may, after consulting the parties involved, alter the number and boundaries of the districts through a law and those of the municipalities through a decree.

4. It also designates the main towns of the same.

1. Sion is the capital of the canton and the seat of the Grand Council, the Council of State, and the Cantonal Court.

2. If important circumstances require, these authorities may convene elsewhere.

3. The law of December 1, 1882, determines the functions of the capital.

4. When establishing cantonal institutions, due consideration should be given to the different regions of the country.

5. The municipality designated as the seat of a cantonal institution may be obliged to provide certain services or contributions.

**1. Valaisans are:**

a) citizens who belong to a municipality of the canton by virtue of birth;

b) those who have been granted citizenship in accordance with cantonal legislation.

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1. Every citizen of a canton may, under conditions established by law, acquire citizenship in other municipalities.

1. In addition to their powers in elections and voting as well as in the compulsory constitutional referendum, the citizens possess the right of initiative and the right of optional referendum.

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2. The law regulates the exercise of these rights as well as the procedure of consultation and information of the citizens.

1. Three thousand eligible voters may, within ninety days from their publication in the Official Gazette, demand that the following be submitted to a popular vote

a) the laws and decrees;

b) the concordats, treaties, and agreements that contain legal norms;

c) the resolutions of the Grand Council that result in an extraordinary expenditure exceeding, as a one-time expense, 0.75 percent or, as a recurring expense, 0.25 percent of the total gross expenditures of the administrative and investment accounts of the last fiscal year.

2. The referendum may also be requested by the majority of the Grand Council.

3. Not subject to a popular vote are

a) the implementing laws (Art. 42, para. 2);

b) the ordinary expenditures and other resolutions.

4. The Grand Council determines the invalidity of referendums that do not meet the conditions set forth by the constitution and the law.

1. Laws, treaties, concordats, agreements, or resolutions that are subject to a referendum may not be enacted before the expiration of the referendum period, nor, if applicable, before a popular vote has taken place.

2. Decrees take effect immediately. If three thousand eligible voters or the majority of the Grand Council require it, they must be submitted to a popular vote in the following year. If they are not approved, they lose their validity and cannot be renewed.

1. Four thousand eligible voters can demand the drafting, adoption, amendment, or repeal of a law, decree, or other decision subject to a referendum, except for laws, decrees, and decisions on which the people have voted in the past four years, decisions that have already been executed, and decrees with a validity of less than one year.

2. Except in the cases mentioned in Article 34, paragraph 2, and Article 35, paragraph 1, every popular initiative must be submitted to a public vote within three years of its submission. This period may be extended by a decision of the Grand Council for a maximum of one year.

3. The Grand Council declares invalid any initiative that

a) Contradicts federal law or the cantonal constitution;

b) Involves more than one subject matter;

c) Does not comply with the unity of form;

d) Is not executable;

e) Does not fall within the scope of a decree subject to the initiative.

4. If an initiative petition entails new state expenditures or the abolition of existing revenues that jeopardize financial balance, the Grand Council will supplement the initiative by proposing new sources of revenue, the reduction of state tasks, or other savings measures.

1. The initiative may, unless it aims at a resolution, be submitted in the form of a fully drafted proposal.

2. If the Grand Council agrees to the initiative, a public vote takes place only upon the request of three thousand eligible voters or the absolute majority of the Grand Council.

3. If the Grand Council rejects the initiative, it must submit it to the public for a vote unchanged; however, it can recommend rejection or propose a counter-draft.

4. If the Grand Council adopts a counter-draft, voters are invited to express their opinion on the same ballot on the following three questions

a) Do you want to accept the popular initiative?

b) Do you want to accept the counter-draft?

c) If both proposals receive the majority of valid votes cast, should the initiative or the counter-draft come into force?

1. The initiative in the form of a general suggestion is followed by the Grand Council by deciding whether the provisions it adopts or amends are to be incorporated into the constitution or into a legislative or administrative enactment; if the initiative is implemented in a law or an administrative enactment, it is subject to a referendum only if three thousand eligible voters or the majority of the Grand Council so demand.

2. If the Grand Council rejects the initiative, it submits it unchanged and with its opinion to the people for a vote.

3. If the people reject the initiative, it is written off.

4. If the people accept the initiative, the Grand Council is obliged to implement it without delay.

5. When drafting the provisions required by the initiative in the form of a general suggestion, the Grand Council must comply with the intentions of the initiators.

1. The public authorities are

a) the legislative power;

b) the executive and administrative power;

c) the judicial power.

1. Subject to the rights granted to the people, the legislative power is exercised by the Grand Council.

2. It possesses any other authority conferred upon it by the constitution or by law.

1. The Grand Council drafts the constitutional provisions, laws, and decrees, subject to Articles 31 to 35 and 100 to 106.

2. Subject to the powers of the people and the Council of State, it approves the treaties, concordats, and conventions.

3. It exercises the rights reserved to the cantons under Articles 86, 89, 89a, and 93 of the Federal Constitution and responds to the federal consultations concerning nuclear facilities.

1. The Grand Council decides on the validity of the election of its members.

2. It elects the Cantonal Court, its president and vice-presidents, as well as the members of the Office of the Public Prosecutor.

1. The Grand Council has supervisory authority over the management of the Council of State, autonomous corporations and institutions under public law, judicial authorities, as well as over the representatives of the state in companies where the canton holds a majority stake. It reviews the management and deliberates on its approval.

2. It may at any time demand an account from the executive branch regarding an action of its administration.

3. The law may delegate certain tasks of the state to autonomous corporations or institutions under public law.

1. The Grand Council has the following powers, namely

a) it approves the budget and authorizes the accounts, which are to be published.

b) it participates in planning within the framework of the law.

c) it approves extraordinary expenditures, grants concessions and authorizes real estate transactions, the taking of loans as well as guarantees and other similar assurances, subject to exceptions provided for in the constitution or by law.

d) it sets the salaries of magistrates, officials, and state employees, subject to exceptions provided for by law.

e) it exercises the right of pardon.

1. The Grand Council enacts legal norms in the form of a law, which is generally put into effect for an unlimited duration. However, it may also provide for an enactment with a limited duration.

2. It issues the absolutely necessary provisions for the execution of superior law in the form of implementing laws.

3. If circumstances require, he may, however, issue urgent provisions of limited duration by decree (Art. 32 para. 2).

4. The Grand Council handles all other matters in the form of resolutions.

1. The law establishes the fundamental principles regarding the organization of the Grand Council as well as its relationships with the State Council and the judicial authorities. Otherwise, the Grand Council organizes itself.

2. It governs the participation of the members of the State Council in the sessions of the Grand Council and the parliamentary committees.

1. The Grand Council convenes as a matter of law

a) * for the constituent session on the seventh Monday following its complete renewal;

b) * for the ordinary sessions according to the dates set forth in the law.

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2. The Grand Council convenes for extraordinary sessions

a) when it so decides itself;

b) upon invitation by the Council of State;

c) at the request of twenty deputies, specifying the matters to be addressed.

1. The Grand Council elects a President and two Vice Presidents for a term of one year.

2. The Grand Council has an independent parliamentary service.

1. The Grand Council designates the standing and non-standing committees that prepare its deliberations. This authority can be delegated to the office.

2. The deputies can form political groups consisting of at least five members.

3. In principle, the political groups must be adequately represented in the committees.

1. The Grand Council can only validly deliberate in the presence of an absolute majority of its members.

2. It makes its decisions by an absolute majority.

1. The sessions of the Grand Council are public.

2. However, if circumstances require, it may resolve to hold confidential proceedings.

1. Draft laws and decrees are deliberated in two readings.

2. Resolutions are subject to a single reading.

3. The Grand Council may, in all cases, decide on a single or an additional reading.

1. Members of Parliament exercise their mandate freely.

2. Members of Parliament cannot be criminally prosecuted without the authorization of the Grand Council for statements made by them before the assembly or in committees.

3. Except when caught in the act, they cannot be arrested during sessions without the authorization of the assembly.

1. Every member of the Grand Council shall have the right to submit an initiative, a motion, a postulate, an interpellation, a resolution, and a simple inquiry.

2. The law shall define the content of these rights and regulate their exercise.

1. The executive and administrative power is entrusted to a State Council composed of five members.

2. One of them is appointed from the voters of the canton section that includes the current districts of Goms, Brig, Visp, Raron, and Leuk; one from those of the districts of Siders, Sitten, Ering, and Gundis, and one from those of the districts of Martinach, Entremont, Saint-Maurice, and Monthey.

3. The other two are appointed from all the voters of the canton. However, not more than one State Councillor may be appointed from the voters of the same district.

4. The members of the State Council are elected directly by the people on the same day as the members of the Grand Council and take office on the following first of May. Their election is conducted according to the majority system. The State Council constitutes itself annually. The outgoing president is not immediately reeligible.

5. A vacant seat in the State Council must be filled within sixty days, unless a complete renewal occurs within four months.

6. The election of the members of the State Council takes place using the same list scrutiny. If election proceedings are not completed on the specified day, they are to be resumed on the third following Sunday. In this case, the result of the first ballot and the resumption of election proceedings are announced promptly.

7. If in the first ballot the absolute majority does not unite on as many persons as are to be elected, a second ballot takes place. In this second ballot, those are considered elected who have obtained the most votes, even if not the absolute majority of them. However, if in the second ballot the number of seats to be filled corresponds to that of the proposed candidates, they are declared elected without a poll. The silent election also applies to the first ballot in replacement elections, provided that only a single candidate appears and only one seat is to be filled.

8. If the number of those who have united the absolute majority of votes is greater than the number to be elected, those with the most votes are considered elected.

9. If two or more citizens from the same district receive the absolute majority, only the one who received the most votes is considered elected.

10. In the event of a tie, the decision is made by lot.

1. The State Council exercises the executive and administrative power and possesses all the authority granted to it by the constitution or law.

2. It acts as a collegiate body.

3. Important affairs always remain within its jurisdiction.

4. It distributes affairs among the departments, whose number and authorities are determined by a regulation subject to the approval of the Grand Council.

5. Otherwise, the State Council organizes itself independently.

1. In its relations with the Grand Council, the Council of State holds the following powers in particular

a) it submits drafts of constitutions, laws, decrees, and resolutions;

b) it reports on popular initiatives, initiatives, motions, postulates and resolutions proposed by deputies and responds to their interpellations and inquiries;

c) it presents the draft budget, state accounts, and administrative report to the Grand Council;

d) it can submit proposals to the Grand Council;

e) it submits to the Grand Council drafts of concordats, contracts, and agreements that contain legal norms or result in expenses falling within its responsibility.

1. The Council of State exercises the following administrative powers in particular

a) it appoints state personnel, subject to exceptions provided by law;

b) it supervises the authorities under its jurisdiction as well as public-law corporations and institutions;

c) it represents the state, concludes public-law contracts, concordats, and agreements, and responds to consultations requested by the canton;

d) it directs the administration, plans, and coordinates its activities.

1. The State Council ensures public order and for this purpose has authority over the police and the cantonal troops.

2. In the event of great and imminent danger, it exercises extraordinary powers and promptly informs the Grand Council of the measures it takes.

1. The State Council issues the necessary provisions for the application of cantonal laws and decrees in the form of regulations.

2. The law may delegate to the State Council the authority to issue ordinances by stipulating their purpose and the principles that determine their content. The delegation must relate to a precisely defined area. The ordinances may be subjected to the approval of the Grand Council.

3. The State Council handles other matters in the form of resolutions and decisions.

1. The State Council promulgates the legal norms and enacts them, unless the Grand Council decides on them itself and ensures their application.

2. It enacts the directly applicable constitutional provisions immediately after their approval by the Federal Assembly.

1. The government shall appoint a government commissioner and a deputy for each district.

2. The powers of the government commissioner shall be determined by law.

1. The judicial authority is independent.

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1. The Cantonal Court submits an annual report to the Grand Council through the agency of the Council of State on all branches of judicial administration.

1. In every municipality or administrative district, there shall be a judge and a deputy judge; for each district, there shall be a civil court, a correctional court, and a criminal court; and for the canton, there shall be a cantonal court.

2. The members of the cantonal court shall possess knowledge of both official languages.

1. The number of districts, the jurisdiction of the courts, their composition, the election and remuneration of judges, as well as the incompatibility between judicial and other official duties shall be determined by law.

2. There can only be four district courts.

3. The judges of the districts or municipalities and their deputies shall be elected by the voters of the district or municipality.

4. When forming the districts, due consideration shall be given to the population and the topographical situation of the municipalities.

5. The voting takes place in each municipality.

1. The legislature reserves the right to establish a commercial court and one or more industrial arbitration tribunals.

1. There shall be an administrative court, as well as a court that has jurisdiction over disputes of competence between the executive and the judicial powers.

2. These courts shall be organized by specific laws.

1. The Judicial Council is an independent judicial oversight body.

2. It exercises administrative and disciplinary supervision over the cantonal judicial authorities and the magistrates of the public prosecution. The exclusive competence of the Grand Council to remove the magistrates it has elected from office for important reasons remains reserved.

3. It is subject to the oversight of the Grand Council.

4. The Grand Council elects the members of the Judicial Council who are not determined by law.

5. Furthermore, the law specifies the following

a) the composition, the method of appointment, and the organization of the Judicial Council;

b) the legal recourse against the decisions of the Judicial Council;

c) the relationships between the Judicial Council and the Grand Council, the Cantonal Court, and the Public Prosecution;

d) the cooperation of the Judicial Council in judicial elections.

1. In each district, there is a District Council elected for a term of four years.

2. The Municipal Council elects its delegates to the same in the ratio of one for every 300 inhabitants.

3. A fraction of 151 is counted as a whole.

4. Every municipality, regardless of its population, appoints at least one representative.

5. The Government Commissioner or their substitute presides over the District Council.

1. The District Council closes the accounts of the district and distributes the burdens falling to it among the municipalities, subject to appeal to the State Council.

2. It takes annual notice of the report on the financial administration of the state.

3. It represents the district and particularly oversees its economic development and the utilization of its agricultural products.

1. The law determines the organization and the further official duties of this council.

1. The municipalities independently regulate their affairs within the limits of the constitution and the laws. They are responsible for tasks that are of a local nature and those that they can solve alone or together with other municipalities.

1. Municipalities exercise their activities in such a way that they are compatible with the common good and the interests of other communities.

2. They carry out their own tasks as well as those assigned to them by law.

3. Municipal assets must be used appropriately and managed carefully.

1. Municipalities may unite to jointly solve public tasks. For this purpose, they form public-law associations equipped with legal personality. Municipalities can also collaborate in any other manner. The principles regarding this collaboration, as well as the establishment and activities of these municipal associations, are determined by law.

2. The Council of State may compel municipalities to collaborate or to unite into public-law associations under certain conditions specified by law.

1. Each municipality shall have the following bodies

a) an assembly of citizens with voting rights in the municipality;

b) a municipal council elected by the municipal assembly.

2. The municipal assembly shall elect a president and a vice-president from among the municipal councilors.

3. Furthermore, the law determines the principles of municipal organization.

1. The municipal assembly may, if the municipality has more than 700 inhabitants, elect a general council, whose organization and powers are determined by law.

2. The citizens have the right to optional referendum against the decisions made by the general council instead of the municipal assembly. The exercise of this right is regulated by law.

3. These provisions do not apply to the civic community.

1. The municipalities are entitled to introduce the right of initiative. In the municipalities that possess this right, citizens can submit initiatives to the municipal council in the form of a general proposal regarding the enactment or amendment of regulations that fall within the jurisdiction of the municipal assembly.

2. The law regulates the introduction and exercise of this right.

1. Municipalities are subject to the supervision of the Council of State within the limitations of Article 69. The law determines the manner of this supervision, particularly regarding administration. Unless explicitly provided otherwise by the constitution and the laws, the Council of State's power of review is limited to legality.

2. Regulations drafted by the municipalities must be approved by the Council of State.

3. The law may provide that significant municipal projects are subject to homologation or approval by the Council of State.

4. The approval procedure is regulated by law.

1. Municipalities are considered to be

a) the resident municipalities;

b) the civic municipalities.

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1. The municipal community consists of the individuals residing within the municipality's territory.

2. The territory of the municipal community is guaranteed subject to Article 26.

1. The General Assembly consists of residents of the municipality who are entitled to vote.

2. It elects a municipal council of three to fifteen members, the president, and vice-president, and if applicable, the general council.

3. In municipalities without a general council, the General Assembly decides in particular on

a) the municipal regulations, except in the exceptions determined by law;

b) significant projects concerning the sale, granting of limited real rights, exchange, lease, disposal of assets, granting of loans, raising of credit, providing guarantees, granting and transferring of hydroelectric power concessions;

c) new non-binding expenses, whose amount is to be determined by law;

d) the budget and the accounts.

4. In municipalities with a general council, this council replaces the General Assembly and exercises at least its rights, except in electoral matters.

5. The law determines in both cases the further competencies and the exercise of these rights.

1. The Municipal Council shall have the following responsibilities

a) it manages the general administration of the municipality;

b) it drafts municipal regulations and ensures their application;

c) it ensures the execution of cantonal legislation;

d) it appoints the employees;

e) * it prepares the draft budget;

f) it prepares the financial statement.

2. In municipalities without a Citizens' Council, the Municipal Council exercises its function.

1. The Citizen Community is a corporation under public law and, as such, is tasked with fulfilling the duties assigned to it by legislation in the public interest.

1. The Citizens' Assembly consists of citizens who have their residence in the area of the citizens' municipality. The legislation may extend the exercise of certain rights to citizens residing in the canton.

2. The Citizens' Assembly has the same powers in matters concerning citizens as a general assembly. It also decides on the admission of new citizens.

1. The Citizens' Assembly is entitled to request the formation of a separate Citizens' Council. This request must be made in accordance with legal regulations at the end of an administrative period.

2. The Citizens' Council consists of a minimum of three and a maximum of nine members.

1. The Grand Council is composed of 130 deputies and an equal number of alternates, distributed among the districts, who are elected directly by the people.

2. The district of Raron, which consists of two sub-districts with their own bodies and powers, forms two electoral constituencies.

3. The seats are distributed among the districts and sub-districts as follows

The total Swiss resident population is divided by 130. The quotient thus obtained is rounded up to the nearest whole number, which then forms the distribution number. Each district or sub-district receives as many deputies and alternates as the distribution number is contained in the number of its Swiss resident population. If this distribution does not account for all seats, the remaining seats are allocated to the districts and sub-districts that have the largest remainders.

4. The State Council determines the number of seats to be allocated to each district and sub-district following each census.

5. The popular vote takes place in the municipalities.

6. Elections occur by district and sub-district according to the proportional representation system. The manner of implementing this principle is determined by law.

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1. The Grand Council, the Council of State, the judicial officers, the municipal councils, and the citizens' councils are elected for a term of four years.

2. The President and Vice-President of the Council of State are subject to re-election annually. The President may not be re-elected immediately.

1. The members elected to the Council of States are chosen directly by the people during the regular general renewal of the National Council. These elections take place across the entire canton as a single electoral district under the majority system.

2. The election of the Council of States is conducted using the same list scrutiny system. If the elections are not completed on the specified day, they shall resume on the subsequent third Sunday. In such cases, the results of the first round of voting and the resumption of the election procedures are announced without delay.

3. If the absolute majority is not achieved for as many members as need to be elected in the first round of voting, a second round shall take place. In this second round, those who receive the most votes, even if not an absolute majority, are deemed elected. However, if in the second round the number of members to be elected corresponds to the number of nominated candidates, these candidates are declared elected without a ballot. The silent election also applies to the first round in by-elections if only one candidate runs and only one seat is to be filled.

4. If the number of individuals who have received an absolute majority exceeds the number to be elected, those with the most votes are considered elected.

5. In the case of a tie, the decision is made by drawing lots.

1. The election of the members and substitute members of the Grand Council takes place for each new term of office on the first Sunday of March.

2. The newly elected Grand Council assumes its duties with the opening of the constituted session.

1. The members of the General Council are elected by the electorate according to the proportional representation system.

2. The members of the municipal council and the citizens' council are elected by the electorate according to the proportional representation system. In citizen municipalities and in resident municipalities with fewer inhabitants than the number specified by law, the electorate may, with a majority of its members and under conditions determined by law, decide to switch the electoral system. The majoritarian system is retained in citizen municipalities and in resident municipalities that used this system at the time the present reform comes into force.

3. The president, the vice president, the judge, and the vice judge are elected by the electorate according to the majoritarian system.

4. The law determines the modalities of the election and the date of the ballot.

1. Citizens exercise their political rights upon reaching the age of eighteen.

2. All eligible voters are electable to public offices.

2. Every citizen may exercise the right to vote in only one municipality and community of residence.

1. The law regulates the incompatibilities.

2. It seeks primarily to prevent that

a) a citizen exercises functions of multiple public authorities simultaneously;

b) the same person belongs to two subordinate bodies;

c) members of the same family sit in the same authority;

d) a citizen holding a public office engages in other activities that could adversely affect the performance of their duties.

3. Subject to statutory exceptions, the incompatibilities also apply to deputies and substitutes.

4. The law may provide other exceptions, particularly concerning municipal regulations.

5. Only a single member of the Council of State may sit in the federal assemblies.

1. The cases of exclusion from voting rights and election rights are determined by cantonal and federal legislation.

1. Six thousand eligible voters can demand a total or partial revision of the constitution.

2. Every popular initiative must be submitted to the people for a vote within three years of its submission. This period may be extended by a decision of the Grand Council for a maximum of one year.

3. The Grand Council declares the invalidity of an initiative that

a) contradicts federal law;

b) contains more than one subject;

c) does not adhere to the unity of form;

d) does not fall within the scope of the constitution;

e) is not executable.

1. The initiative in the form of a general proposal shall be submitted to the people for a vote with a statement from the Grand Council.

2. If the people reject the initiative, it shall be written off.

3. If the people accept the initiative, the Grand Council is obligated to implement it without delay.

4. In drafting the provisions required by the initiative in the form of a general proposal, the Grand Council shall comply with the intentions of the initiators.

5. The people shall decide simultaneously whether, in the event of the initiative's acceptance, the total revision shall be carried out by the Grand Council or by a Constitutional Council.

1. A partial amendment of the constitution can be requested in the form of a drafted proposal.

2. The Grand Council can recommend either rejection or acceptance, or it can prepare a counterproposal.

3. If the Grand Council prepares a counterproposal, it deliberates on it in two ordinary sessions. It may decide on an additional reading.

4. If the Grand Council adopts a counterproposal, the voters are asked to express their opinion on the same ballot regarding the following three questions

a) Do you wish to accept the popular initiative?

b) Do you wish to accept the counterproposal?

c) If both proposals receive the absolute majority of votes, should the initiative or the counterproposal come into effect?

1. If the revision takes place according to the referendum by the Grand Council, it shall be deliberated in two regular sessions.

2. If it takes place by a Constitutional Council, it shall be deliberated in two readings.

3. The elections for the Constitutional Council shall occur on the same basis as the election of deputies to the Grand Council. None of the incompatibility cases provided for the latter are applicable to them.

1. The Grand Council may also carry out a constitutional revision on its own initiative.

2. The amendments are initially subject to a reading concerning their advisability, followed by two readings on the text, and indeed during regular sessions.

3. The Grand Council may, in any case, decide on an additional reading. It may also require that the people express their opinion on different variants.

1. The constitution revised by the Grand Council or by a constitutional council shall be submitted to the people for acceptance or rejection.

1. In the voting procedures carried out in accordance with Articles 102 and 105, the decision is determined by the absolute majority of the citizens participating in the vote.

1. Every request for a revision arising from a popular initiative is addressed to the Grand Council.

2. The signatures supporting the request are submitted by municipality, and the eligibility to vote of the signatories must be certified by the municipal president. The municipal president must also verify the authenticity of any signatures that appear suspicious to him.

1. Decrees adopted by the Grand Council before the effective date of the new constitutional provisions are subject to the mandatory referendum according to the former Article 30 of the Cantonal Constitution.

2. Popular initiatives submitted to the State Chancellery before this date are subject to the old Articles 31 to 35 or the previous Articles 101 to 107 of the Cantonal Constitution.

3. The Grand Council is authorized to change the order and numbering of the former Articles 49, 50, 55, 56, and 57 of the Cantonal Constitution, provided that the new Article 90, which regulates incompatibilities, is not approved by the public.

1. The previous Articles 49, 50, 55, 56, 57, Paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article 60, Paragraph 1 of Article 89, Articles 91, and 93 to 99 shall remain in force until the adoption of the law provided for in the new Article 90, Paragraph 1. Until that date, however, the Grand Council is authorized to change the order and numbering of the articles as necessary.