Political Life
GOUVY TOWN HALL
6671 GOUVY
Wallonia has 262 communes, of which 9 are situated in the German-speaking region.
Responsibilities – Political bodies - Administration
Municipalities carry out a series of mandatory duties which are identical for each Walloon municipality, and optional duties which are specific to each municipality. Municipalities are supervised by the Region.
Municipalities' mandatory duties include: organizing and jointly financing the CPAS, organizing primary education in the municipality, keeping registers of births, marriages and deaths, monitoring the unemployed, making up deficits in church councils (and similar institutions for Jewish, Protestant and Anglican worship), establishing electoral registers, maintaining order, and maintaining the municipal highways.
Each municipality has a meeting of elected representatives, the Municipal Council, and an executive, the College of Aldermen.
The Municipal Council is made up of a number of directly elected representatives which varies according to the number of inhabitants of the municipality. Municipal elections are held every six years, on the second Sunday of October.
The mayor is now appointed by the Walloon Government. The mayor chairs the Municipal Council, with voting rights, as well as the College. As well as responsibilities similar to those of an alderman, he has specific responsibilities, especially in terms of security and maintaining order.