The Provincial Council, Provincial Executive and King's Commissioner the Provincial Board. But who does what?
The Provincial Council is at the head of affairs in the province. Members of the Provincial Council are elected once every four years and all are affiliated with a political party. The number of members varies from province to province and depends mainly on the size of the province. In Groningen, we have 43 state members. The Provincial Council meets once a month, always on a Wednesday. The Provincial Council determines policy on major issues and checks the Provincial Executive whether that policy is executed.
The Provincial Executive forms the daily executive board of the province and is responsible for the implementation of decisions made by the Provincial Council. The number of delegates varies per province. Each delegate has his or her own portfolio. A delegate’s main task is to prepare and subsequently implement decisions made by the Provincial Council. Delegates are obligated to inform the Provincial Council about their progress. This is the so called accountability duty.
The King's Commissioner is chairman of the Provincial Council, as well as that of the board of the Provincial Executive. In addition, he is also a civil servant. The King's Commissioner is not elected by the citizens of the province, but appointed by the King for a period of six years. René Paas has been the King's Commissioner for the province of Groningen since April 18, 2016.