Coordinates: 42°30′24″N 1°31′15″E

General Council (Andorra)

General Council of Andorra

Consell General d'Andorra
9th General Council

Headquarters of the General Council

The General Council (Catalan: Consell General d'Andorra, Type

IPA:  [konˈsɛʎ ʒeneˈɾal danˈdora]) is the unicameral Type Unicameral
parliament of Andorra. It is sometimes referred to as the
General Council of the Valleys (Catalan: Consell General Leadership
de les Valls) because it was the historical name and to General Roser Suñé Pascuet, DA
distinguish it from similarly named bodies in the Val d'Aran Syndic since 2 May 2019
and in France. Deputy Meritxell Palmitjavila Naudí,
General DA
Organization Syndic since 2 May 2019
Structure
There are twenty-eight "general councillors", who are elected Seats 28
for four-year terms based on party lists in a closed list
system:[1] Political Outgoing government (17)
groups
two general councillors from each of the seven   DA–CC (16)
parishes, elected from the list with most votes in
  DA (14)
each parish;[2]
fourteen general councillors elected from national   CC (2)
lists using the largest remainder method of   Acció (1)
proportional representation.[3]
Opposition (11)
The parish lists and the national list are independent of one
another: the same person cannot appear on both the national   Concòrdia (5)
list and on a parish list, and voters cast two separate ballots
  PS (3)
(there is no requirement to vote for the same party for both
lists).[4]   Andorra Endavant (3)

Elections
This is a recent development; originally, the seven parishes
had each returned four deputies. However, as parishes varied Voting Parallel Voting
in population from 350 to 2,500, this was felt to be system
14 members by national
significantly imbalanced, and the national list system was
list PR
introduced for the 1997 elections to counter the
disproportionate power held by the smallest parishes. Two members per parish
(Total 14)
The Council appoints a presiding officer, titled the Síndic Last 2 April 2023
general, and a deputy, the subsíndic. The current Síndic election
general is Vicenç Mateu Zamora of the Democrats for Next 2027
Andorra. election

The General Council (subject to approval of the Co-Princes) Meeting place

elects the Head of Government, who presides over the
Executive Council. The Head of Government appoints the
remaining seven members of the Executive Council. The
current Head of Government is Xavier Espot Zamora.

Membership
Political parties are a recent innovation; the first party was
formed in 1976, and they only gained legal recognition in
1992. The most recent Andorran parliamentary election was New Parliament of Andorra
held on 2 April 2023. Andorra la Vella, Andorra
Website
The General Council has the second-highest proportion of
women legislators (behind the lower house of the Rwandan www.consellgeneral.ad (http://www.cons
legislature), and the highest in the developed world. In 2015, ellgeneral.ad)
exactly half of its members (14 out of 28) were women.[5]

History
The first parliament in Andorra was established in 1419, as the Consell de la Terra. Councillors were
elected by the population,[6] and the council appointed syndics to manage the administration of the
principality. It remained in force for several hundred years, slowly becoming the fiefdom of a few major
families; this caused popular discontent by the nineteenth century, and major reforms were instituted in
1866.

The reforms were masterminded by Guillem d'Areny-Plandolit, and had several effects:

The Consell de la Terra was abolished, and replaced by the Consell General de les Valls,
with a syndic and vice-syndic
The franchise was extended to all heads of families
Regular elections were laid down; in this case, twelve of the twenty-four (as there then were)
councillors were to be elected every two years

In the 1930s, matters again began to boil over; one point of particular contention was that the council had
begun regularly referring to Andorra as a republic, which understandably caused some contention with the
co-princes. The General Council was dissolved on their order in June 1933, and a special election called to
re-elect it. The opportunity was taken to change the voting laws; at this point, all men over twenty-five
could vote, and all men over thirty stand for election.

In 1970, the vote was extended to women over twenty-five; in 1971 the qualifying age for all electors was
lowered to twenty-one, and that of candidates to twenty-five. Women gained the right to run for office in
1973, and in 1978 a referendum was held on the matter of further reform.

Later that year, a seventh parish (Escaldes-Engordany) was formed, bringing the numbers of councillors to
twenty-eight.
In 1982, the Executive Council was created, comprising the Executive Council President and four
councillors with ministerial duties. In 1984 Mercè Bonell was the first female Councilor.[7]

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

References
1. Art. 42.2, Law 28/2007.
2. Art. 57, Law 28/2007.
3. Art. 58, Law 28/2007.
4. Arts. 19, 51 & 52, Law 28/2007.
5. "Women in Parliaments: World Classification" (https://web.archive.org/web/2014032810510
8/http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm). Ipu.org. 31 March 2012. Archived from the original
(http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm) on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
6. "Andorra country profile" (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17028050). BBC News.
20 December 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
7. Mercè Bonell: "Vaig entrar al Consell General espantada" (https://www.ara.ad/politica/Merce
-Bonell-Consell-General-espantada_0_1754824686.html) (in Catalan)

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