Council of State of the Canton of Fribourg

Each member of the government heads a directorate (a subdivision of the cantonal administration).^[2] Since 2002, the directorates have been named as follows:^[3][4]

• Directorate of Education and Cultural Affairs (French: Direction de la formation et des affaires culturelles, DFAC)^{[note 1]}
• Directorate of Security, Justice, and Sport (French: Direction de la sécurité, de la justice et du sport, DSJS)^{[note 2]}
• Directorate of Institutions, Agriculture, and Forestry (French: Direction des institutions, de l'agriculture et des forêts, DIAF)^{[note 3]}
• Directorate of Economy, Employment, and Vocational Training (French: Direction de l'économie, de l'emploi et de la formation professionnelle, DEEF)^{[note 4]}
• Directorate of Health and Social Affairs (French: Direction de la santé et des affaires sociales, DSAS)^{[note 5]}
• Directorate of Finances (French: Direction des finances, DFIN)
• Directorate of Territorial Development, Infrastructure, Mobility, and Environment (French: Direction du développement territorial, des infrastructures, de la mobilité et de l'environnement, DIME)^{[note 6]}

The members of the Council of State are elected every five years under a majority system with two rounds, with the first round held on the same day as the election of the Grand Council. From 1848 to 1921, the Council of State was elected by the Grand Council.^[5]

The president of the Council of State is elected by the Grand Council for a one-year term, non-renewable consecutively,^[6] based on the principle of seniority.^{[note 7][7]}

From 1848 to 1874, the Council of State was exclusively composed of members of the Free Democratic Party, then almost exclusively of members of the Conservative Party (predecessor of the PDC). They were elected by the Grand Council and were generally drawn from its ranks.^[8]

Starting in 1921, the government was elected by the people and always included a member from a second party, but it was not until 1946 that its composition became pluralistic, though the conservative majority still persisted.^[8]

From 1981 onward, the government's composition finally began to reflect the electoral weight of the parties and could be described as pluralistic, with the two historical parties (PDC and PRD) each having to relinquish one seat. However, the majority remained with the bourgeois parties, and the PDC continued to be the dominant party.^[8]

Since the new cantonal constitution of 2004, members of the Council of State are limited to a maximum of three terms, and holding simultaneous office in the National Council or the Council of States is prohibited.^[9]

• Canton of Fribourg
• Grand Council of Fribourg