General Council (Andorra) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids General Council of Andorra Consell General d'Andorra
9th General Council
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
General Syndic	Carles Enseñat Reig, DA Since 26 April 2023
Deputy General Syndic	Sandra Codina Tort, CC Since 26 April 2023
Secretaries of the Syndicate	Maria Àngels Aché Feliu, Concòrdia Carolina Puig Montes, DA Since 26 April 2023
Structure
Seats	28
Elections
Last election	2 April 2023
Next election	2027
Meeting place
New Parliament of Andorra Andorra la Vella, Andorra

Headquarters of the General Council

The General Council (in Catalan, Consell General d'Andorra) is Andorra's main law-making body. It is like a parliament where elected representatives discuss and create laws for the country. Sometimes, people call it the General Council of the Valleys. This is its old name and helps to tell it apart from similar groups in other places.

What is the General Council?

The General Council is the most important group that makes decisions for Andorra. It is made up of 28 people called "general councillors." These councillors are chosen by the people of Andorra in elections. They serve for four years, helping to guide the country.

How it Works: Electing Representatives

Andorra has a special way of choosing its 28 general councillors.

• Two councillors are elected from each of Andorra's seven areas, called parishes. The party with the most votes in each parish wins these two spots.
• The other fourteen councillors are chosen from national lists. People vote for a party at a national level. The seats are then given out based on how many votes each party gets across the whole country.

This system means that voters cast two separate ballots. They vote once for their local parish representatives and once for the national party list. This helps make sure all parts of Andorra are represented fairly.

Fair Representation for All Parishes

In the past, the way councillors were chosen was a bit different. Each of the seven parishes elected four representatives. However, some parishes had many more people than others. This meant that smaller parishes had a lot of power compared to their population.

To make things fairer, the national list system was introduced in 1997. This change helped balance the power. It made sure that all citizens' votes counted more equally, no matter which parish they lived in.

Important Roles: Síndic General and Head of Government

The General Council has important leaders.

• The main leader is called the Síndic general. This person is like the speaker of the parliament.
• There is also a subsíndic, who is the deputy leader.
• Currently, Carles Enseñat Reig is the Síndic general, and Sandra Codina Tort is the Deputy General Syndic. They were elected on 26 April 2023.

The General Council also chooses the Head of Government. This person leads the country's daily operations. The Head of Government then picks other members to form the Executive Council. This council helps run different parts of the government. The current Head of Government is Xavier Espot Zamora.

Who are the Members?

The members of the General Council are the people who represent you. They come from different political parties. These parties are groups of people who share similar ideas about how the country should be run.

A Look at Political Parties

Political parties are quite new in Andorra. The very first party was formed in 1976. They only became officially recognized by law in 1992. This shows how Andorra's political system has grown and changed over time.

The most recent election for the General Council happened on 2 April 2023. People voted to choose their representatives for the next four years.

Women in the General Council

Andorra is known for having many women in its General Council. It has one of the highest numbers of women lawmakers in the world. In 2015, half of all the councillors, 14 out of 28, were women. This shows Andorra's commitment to equal representation.

A Journey Through History

Andorra's parliament has a long and interesting history. It has changed a lot over the centuries to become what it is today.

Early Beginnings: The Consell de la Terra

The first parliament in Andorra was created way back in 1419. It was called the Consell de la Terra. People elected councillors, and these councillors chose leaders called syndics. These leaders helped manage the country. For many years, this council was controlled by a few powerful families. This made many people unhappy by the 1800s.

Big Changes in 1866

Because of the unhappiness, major changes were made in 1866. A person named Guillem d'Areny-Plandolit led these important reforms.

• The old Consell de la Terra was replaced by the Consell General de les Valls. This new council had a Síndic and a Vice-Síndic.
• More people gained the right to vote. All heads of families could now participate in elections.
• Regular elections were set up. Twelve of the twenty-four councillors were to be elected every two years.

Expanding Voting Rights

In the 1930s, there were new challenges. The General Council started calling Andorra a republic. This caused some disagreements with the country's leaders, the Co-Princes. Because of this, the General Council was temporarily closed in June 1933. A special election was held to choose new members. During this time, the voting rules changed again. All men over twenty-five could vote, and men over thirty could run for election.

Over the years, voting rights continued to expand:

• In 1970, women over twenty-five were given the right to vote.
• In 1971, the voting age for everyone was lowered to twenty-one. The age to run for election was lowered to twenty-five.
• In 1973, women gained the right to run for office.
• In 1978, people voted in a referendum to decide on more reforms.

Later in 1978, a new parish, Escaldes-Engordany, was formed. This brought the total number of councillors to twenty-eight, which is what it is today.

Modernizing Andorra's Government

In 1982, the Executive Council was created. This group includes the Head of Government and other councillors who manage different government departments. A very important moment happened in 1984 when Mercè Bonell became the first female councillor. This was a big step forward for women in politics in Andorra.

See also

In Spanish: Consejo General de Andorra para niños

• List of first syndics of the General Council
• List of general syndics of the General Council
• Politics of Andorra
• List of legislatures by country