Politics
The council of the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer
The council is the most important decision-making body in a city and is generally responsible for all municipal matters, unless otherwise stipulated by law.
The number of council members to be elected depends on the population of a municipality. In Kevelaer, the council actually consists of 34 members, as the statutory number of 38 members has been reduced by statute. The council is elected by universal, free, equal and secret ballot for a term of five years. Half of the honorary politicians are elected directly by the citizens. The same number of elected representatives are added via the reserve lists of the parties and associations. Due to so-called overhang mandates, the council of the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer consists of 40 members for the 2020-2025 election period. The mayor, who is also a member of the council, has the 41st vote.
Fractions
The members of the Council may form political groups. Political groups must consist of at least two members. Each parliamentary group has a chairperson. There are currently five parliamentary groups in the council of the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer: The CDU parliamentary group(17 members), the SPD parliamentary group(7 members), the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen parliamentary group (7 members), the KBV parliamentary group(5 members) and the FDP parliamentary group(4 members).
Committees
At its constituent meeting, the Council forms specialist committees that take on a large part of the political work. Some committees are required by law, others can be formed voluntarily. Some committees can also include "expert citizens" who are nominated by the respective parliamentary group.
Meetings
Council meetings are generally open to the public so that citizens and, of course, the press can follow the discussions in the council chamber. In a few exceptions, topics are dealt with in closed sessions if interests worthy of protection need to be taken into account, such as personnel or property matters.
Information on
If you are interested in local political work, you can find out about the meeting dates, deliberations and decisions of the Kevelaer pilgrimage town council and its committees in the council information system.