40-478: Ayent is a municipality in the district of Hérens in the canton of Valais in Switzerland . The Ayent area is first mentioned in 1052 as Agent . In 1250 it was mentioned as Argenta . Ayent has an area, as of 2009, of 55.1 square kilometers (21.3 sq mi). Of this area, 10.42 km (4.02 sq mi) or 18.9% is used for agricultural purposes, while 13.35 km (5.15 sq mi) or 24.2%
80-571: A Fachhochschule ). Of the 299 who completed tertiary schooling, 57.9% were Swiss men, 27.1% were Swiss women, 7.7% were non-Swiss men and 7.4% were non-Swiss women. As of 2000, there were 4 students in Ayent who came from another municipality, while 92 residents attended schools outside the municipality. Ayent is home to the Bibliothèque communale et scolaire library. The library has (as of 2008) 10,332 books or other media, and loaned out 28,200 items in
120-471: A certain time in Switzerland are also allowed to participate in municipal politics. As at the cantonal and federal level, citizens enjoy political rights, including direct democratic ones, in their municipality. Municipalities are financed through direct taxes (such as income tax ), with rates varying more or less within a framework set by the canton (see Taxation in Switzerland ). As among the cantons, there
160-518: A child or children. There were 17 households that were made up of unrelated people and 38 households that were made up of some sort of institution or another collective housing. In 2000 there were 925 single family homes (or 70.1% of the total) out of a total of 1,320 inhabited buildings. There were 294 multi-family buildings (22.3%), along with 65 multi-purpose buildings that were mostly used for housing (4.9%) and 36 other use buildings (commercial or industrial) that also had some housing (2.7%). In 2000,
200-545: A private car. From the 2000 census, 2,593 or 86.4% were Roman Catholic , while 140 or 4.7% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church . Of the rest of the population, there were 16 members of an Orthodox church (or about 0.53% of the population), and there were 20 individuals (or about 0.67% of the population) who belonged to another Christian church. There were 6 (or about 0.20% of the population) who were Islamic . There were 2 individuals who were Buddhist , 1 person who
240-405: A rate of 0% due to births and deaths. Most of the population (as of 2000) speaks French (2,808 or 93.6%) as their first language, German is the second most common (83 or 2.8%) and Portuguese is the third (41 or 1.4%). There are 15 people who speak Italian and 1 person who speaks Romansh . As of 2008, the gender distribution of the population was 49.7% male and 50.3% female. The population
280-415: A total of 1,153 apartments (39.0% of the total) were permanently occupied, while 1,028 apartments (34.8%) were seasonally occupied and 774 apartments (26.2%) were empty. As of 2009, the construction rate of new housing units was 6.9 new units per 1000 residents. The vacancy rate for the municipality, in 2010, was 0.09%. The historical population is given in the following chart: In the 2007 federal election
320-449: Is a tax transfer among the municipalities to balance various levels of tax income. Switzerland has a relatively high number of small municipalities, with a population of 1,000 or less, especially in rural areas. Because of the increasing difficulty in providing professional government services and in finding volunteers for political offices in small municipalities, the cantons tend to encourage voluntary mergers of municipalities. This led to
360-399: Is forested. Of the rest of the land, 2.55 km (0.98 sq mi) or 4.6% is settled (buildings or roads), 0.75 km (0.29 sq mi) or 1.4% is either rivers or lakes and 27.97 km (10.80 sq mi) or 50.7% is unproductive land. Of the built up area, housing and buildings made up 2.5% and transportation infrastructure made up 1.6%. Out of the forested land, 20.4% of
400-438: Is located on the border with Icogne . The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Azure a Lion rampant Or langued and armed Gules holding in dexter a sword Argent. Ayent has a population (as of December 2020) of 4,137. As of 2008, 10.6% of the population are resident foreign nationals. Over the last 10 years (1999–2009) the population has changed at a rate of 11.6%. It has changed at a rate of 12.4% due to migration and at
440-555: Is notable as the first black Swiss national councillor. 23 incumbents did not get re-elected and lost their mandate, among them Zürich right wing politician Ulrich Schlüer (SVP). The turnout of the election was 48,9% a rise of 3,7% from the previous elections in 2003. Contrary to the developments in the National Council, the Council of States remains dominated by the traditional centrist parties FDP and CVP. Robert Cramer (Geneva)
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#1733317606517480-566: Is part of one of the Swiss cantons , which form the Swiss Confederation . In most cantons, municipalities are also part of districts or other sub-cantonal administrative divisions. There are 2,131 municipalities as of January 2024 . Their populations range between several hundred thousand ( Zürich ), and a few dozen people ( Kammersrohr , Bister ), and their territory between 0.32 km² ( Rivaz ) and 439 km² ( Scuol ). The beginnings of
520-485: Is too rocky for vegetation and 3.0% of the land is covered by glaciers. The municipality is located on a high terrace on the right side of the Rhone river. It consists of the villages and hamlets of Botyre, Luc, Saxonne, La Place, Blignou, Fortunau, Saint-Romain, Signèse, Villa, Argnou and the tourist development of Anzère (which was built in 1969). There is no Ayent village in the municipality. The reservoir Lac de Tseuzier
560-798: The Bürgerrecht (citizenship), regardless of where they were born or where they may currently live. Instead of the place of birth , Swiss legal documents, e.g. passports, contain the Bürgerort (place of citizenship, or place of origin ). The Bürgergemeinde also often holds and administers the common property in the village for the members of the community. Each canton determines the powers and responsibilities of its municipalities. These may include providing local government services such as education, medical and social services, public transportation, and tax collection. The degree of centralization varies from one canton to another. The federal constitution protects
600-982: The Christian right Federal Democratic Union and the regional Ticino League respectively. The left-wing parties won 65 seats, with 43 of the Social Democrats, 20 of the Green party, and the Christian-left Christian Social Party and the far-left Labour Party with a single seat each. The centrist parties won 71 seats, with the CVP and the centre-right FDP each having won 31 seats, and the remaining 9 seats won by minor parties: Liberals, 4 seats; Green Liberals, 3 seats; Evangelical People's Party, 2 seats. 59 of 200 seats (29.5%) were won by women, as compared to 50 in 2003. Ricardo Lumengo (Social Democrats, born in Angola )
640-501: The secondary sector and there were 34 businesses in this sector. 478 people were employed in the tertiary sector , with 107 businesses in this sector. There were 1,499 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 42.6% of the workforce. In 2008 the total number of full-time equivalent jobs was 622. The number of jobs in the primary sector was 73, of which 65 were in agriculture and 8 were in forestry or lumber production. The number of jobs in
680-598: The Council of States for that term of service were elected at an earlier date. On 12 December 2007, the newly elected legislature elected the Swiss federal government, the Swiss Federal Council , for a four-year-term. The results reflected yet another rise in support for the strongest party, the right-wing populist Swiss People's Party , at 29% of the popular vote, and the growth of the Green and Green Liberal parties at
720-403: The autonomy of municipalities within the framework set out by cantonal law. Municipalities are generally governed by an executive council headed by a president or mayor . Legislative authority is exercised by a town meeting of all citizens, or by a municipal parliament, depending on the size of the municipality, and on cantonal and municipal law. In some cantons, foreigners who have lived for
760-697: The exercise of political rights for everyone except the members of the Bürgergemeinde . In the Regeneration era (1830–1848), the liberal revolutions of the common people helped to restore some rights again in a few cantons. In other cantons, the Bürgergemeinden were able to maintain power as political communities. In the city of Zürich it was not until the Municipal Act of 1866 that the political municipality came back into existence. The relationship between
800-563: The expense of the Social Democrats . The Swiss People's Party successfully came out of the election as the strongest party, rising another 2.3% to 29.0% of the popular vote. Among the left-wing parties, support of the Social Democrats eroded to the benefit of the Green and Green Liberal parties. The right-wing parties won 64 seats made up of the SVP with 62 seats and a single seat of
840-549: The federal parliament of Switzerland , were held on Sunday, 21 October 2007. In a few cantons, a second round of the elections to the Council of States was held on 11 November, 18 November, and 25 November 2007. For the 48th legislative term of the federal parliament (2007–2011), voters in 26 cantons elected all 200 members of the National Council as well as 43 out of 46 members of the Council of States . The other three members of
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#1733317606517880-469: The insurance or financial industry, 34 or 9.6% were technical professionals or scientists, 21 or 5.9% were in education and 10 or 2.8% were in health care. In 2000, there were 187 workers who commuted into the municipality and 855 workers who commuted away. The municipality is a net exporter of workers, with about 4.6 workers leaving the municipality for every one entering. Of the working population, 8.2% used public transportation to get to work, and 77.2% used
920-567: The modern municipality system date back to the Helvetic Republic . Under the Old Swiss Confederacy , citizenship was granted by each town and village to only residents. These citizens enjoyed access to community property and in some cases additional protection under the law. Additionally, the urban towns and the rural villages had differing rights and laws. The creation of a uniform Swiss citizenship, which applied equally for citizens of
960-595: The most popular party was the CVP which received 38.87% of the vote. The next three most popular parties were the SP (29.03%), the SVP (12.79%) and the FDP (10.25%). In the federal election, a total of 1,729 votes were cast, and the voter turnout was 65.3%. In the 2009 Conseil d'État/Staatsrat election a total of 1,553 votes were cast, of which 86 or about 5.5% were invalid. The voter participation
1000-462: The municipalities under cantonal or federal law. Municipalities are numbered by the Swiss Federal Office for Statistics (see Community Identification Number#Switzerland ). One or more postal codes (PLZ/NPA) can by assigned to a municipality or shared with other municipalities. Between 2011 and 2021 nine of the smallest municipalities merged into others as part of the effort to eliminate
1040-479: The municipality, and an average of 2.4 persons per household. There were 318 households that consist of only one person and 77 households with five or more people. Out of a total of 1,248 households that answered this question, 25.5% were households made up of just one person and there were 24 adults who lived with their parents. Of the rest of the households, there are 374 married couples without children, 431 married couples with children There were 46 single parents with
1080-436: The number of municipalities dropping by 384 between the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2019. Some municipalities designate themselves as "city" ( ville or Stadt ) or as "village" ( Dorf ). These designations result from tradition or local preference – for example, several small municipalities designated as cities held city rights in medieval times – and normally do not impact the legal or political rights or obligations of
1120-525: The old towns and their tenants and servants, led to conflict. The wealthier villagers and urban citizens held rights to forests, common land and other municipal property which they did not want to share with the "new citizens", who were generally poor. The compromise solution, which was written into the municipal laws of the Helvetic Republic, is still valid today. Two politically separate but often geographically similar organizations were created. The first,
1160-408: The political municipality and the Bürgergemeinde was often dominated by the latter's ownership of community property. Often the administration and profit from the property were totally held by the Bürgergemeinden , leaving the political municipality dependent on the Bürgergemeinde for money and use of the property. It was not until the political municipality acquired rights over property that served
1200-447: The political voting and electoral body rights from the Bürgergemeinde . In the cities, the percentage of members in the Bürgergemeinde in the population was reduced as a result of increasing emigration to the cities. This led to the Bürgergemeinde losing its former importance to a large extent. However, the Bürgergemeinde has remained, and it includes all individuals who are citizens of the Bürgergemeinde , usually by having inherited
1240-439: The population (as of 2000) is children and teenagers (0–19 years old) make up 20.9% of the population, while adults (20–64 years old) make up 60.5% and seniors (over 64 years old) make up 18.6%. As of 2000, there were 1,130 people who were single and never married in the municipality. There were 1,638 married individuals, 166 widows or widowers and 67 individuals who are divorced. As of 2000, there were 1,210 private households in
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1280-498: The public (such as schools, fire stations, etc.) and taxes, that they obtained full independence. For example, in the city of Bern, it was not until after the property division of 1852 that the political municipality had the right to levy taxes. It was not until the Federal Constitution of 1874 that all Swiss citizens were granted equal political rights on local and Federal levels. This revised constitution finally removed all
1320-402: The same year. It was open a total of 260 days with average of 22 hours per week during that year. Municipalities of Switzerland Municipalities ( German : Gemeinden , Einwohnergemeinden or politische Gemeinden ; French : communes ; Italian : comuni ; Romansh : vischnancas ) are the lowest level of administrative division in Switzerland. Each municipality
1360-412: The secondary sector was 194 of which 26 or (13.4%) were in manufacturing and 164 (84.5%) were in construction. The number of jobs in the tertiary sector was 355. In the tertiary sector; 70 or 19.7% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 35 or 9.9% were in the movement and storage of goods, 99 or 27.9% were in a hotel or restaurant, 1 was in the information industry, 5 or 1.4% were
1400-478: The smallest communities. Only Bister has not merged into a new municipality although the smallest municipality is now Kammersrohr with a population of just 32. In addition to the municipalities as basic territorial political subdivisions, a number of other local subdivisions exist in several cantons. These include: 2007 Swiss federal election Elections to the Swiss Federal Assembly ,
1440-659: The so-called municipality, was a political community formed by election and its voting body consists of all resident citizens. However, the community land and property remained with the former local citizens who were gathered together into the Bürgergemeinde /bourgeoisie. During the Mediation era (1803–1814), and especially during the Restoration era (1814–1830), many of the gains toward uniform citizenship were lost. Many political municipalities were abolished and limits were placed on
1480-417: The total land area is heavily forested and 3.4% is covered with orchards or small clusters of trees. Of the agricultural land, 0.5% is used for growing crops and 5.2% is pastures, while 3.2% is used for orchards or vine crops and 10.0% is used for alpine pastures. Of the water in the municipality, 1.1% is in lakes and 0.2% is in rivers and streams. Of the unproductive areas, 8.2% is unproductive vegetation, 39.6%
1520-431: Was Hindu and 2 individuals who belonged to another church. 132 (or about 4.40% of the population) belonged to no church, are agnostic or atheist , and 96 individuals (or about 3.20% of the population) did not answer the question. In Ayent about 1,004 or (33.5%) of the population have completed non-mandatory upper secondary education , and 299 or (10.0%) have completed additional higher education (either university or
1560-488: Was 59.1%, which is similar to the cantonal average of 54.67%. In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election a total of 1,707 votes were cast, of which 108 or about 6.3% were invalid. The voter participation was 65.8%, which is much more than the cantonal average of 59.88%. As of 2010, Ayent had an unemployment rate of 4.8%. As of 2008, there were 121 people employed in the primary economic sector and about 59 businesses involved in this sector. 208 people were employed in
1600-451: Was made up of 1,537 Swiss men (44.0% of the population) and 196 (5.6%) non-Swiss men. There were 1,567 Swiss women (44.9%) and 190 (5.4%) non-Swiss women. Of the population in the municipality 1,903 or about 63.4% were born in Ayent and lived there in 2000. There were 433 or 14.4% who were born in the same canton, while 294 or 9.8% were born somewhere else in Switzerland, and 274 or 9.1% were born outside of Switzerland. The age distribution of
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