Regional Council of Piemonte

 http://www.consiglioregionale.piemonte.it/cms/

The Regional Council is the legislative body that represents the Region in accordance with Article 121 of the Italian Constitution.

The Regional Council of Piemonte has sixty Councillors who are elected by universal and direct suffrage, in a free, equal, personal and secret vote, by all citizens over 18 living in the region.

Regional councillors cannot be held responsible for any opinions expressed or votes cast during the exercise of their duties.

The following offices form part of the Regional Council:

1. the President;
2. the President’s office;
3. council groups;
4. the executive committees and council commissions;

The Council has legislative powers and may submit bills to the Italian parliament. It serves to steer and control the activities of the Regional executive government.

The Council is part of the Region and, like other bodies with constitutional powers, it has its own regulations, its own budget and staff, which are separate from those of the Regional executive government.

Each region has a statute which, in keeping with the Italian Constitution, determines its form of government and the fundamental principles for its organisation and functioning.

The statute governs the exercise of the right to initiate legislation and to hold referenda on the Region’s laws and administrative measures, as well as to publish regional laws and regulations.

The statute is approved and amended by the Regional Council in a law passed by absolute majority of its members, in two successive resolutions to be approved after an interval of not less than two months.

At a national level, the Councils are coordinated by the Conference of the Presidents of the Legislative Assemblies of the Regions and Autonomous Provinces. (http://www.parlamentiregionali.it/)

At a European level, the Presidents of the Regional Councils attend the Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies - CALRE (http://www.calrenet.eu/)