Zurich’s City Council has appointed 25 members to its Ausländerinnen- und Ausländerbeirat, or Foreign Residents’ Advisory Council, for the 2026–2030 term, selected from 124 applicants representing more than 40 countries of origin.
The council exists to represent Zurich residents who do not hold a Swiss passport, channelling their concerns and needs directly to the City Council (Stadtrat). It has operated since 2005, and after a pilot phase and external evaluation, the City Council decided in early 2011 to continue the body indefinitely, without a fixed expiry date.
The council will be co-chaired by two returning members: Alessandra De Bernardi (Italy) and Olympia Georgoudaki (Greece), both of whom previously served on the body.
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How Were Members Selected?
The city ran a public call for candidates ahead of this term’s appointments. Of the 124 people who applied, the City Council selected 25 to serve, weighing several factors to ensure a balanced composition: country of origin, gender, age, German-language proficiency, willingness to commit time, and strong networks within Zurich’s foreign community.
Of the 25 members, five are returning from the prior term — De Bernardi, Georgoudaki, Amine Diare Conde (Guinea), Ewa Maria Lutter (Poland/Germany), and Rima Rida Oulmane (Algeria) — while the remaining 20 are new appointees.
The newly elected members bring backgrounds from a wide range of countries, including Iran, India, Norway, Colombia, Argentina, Russia, Moldova, France, Serbia, Spain, Morocco, Ukraine, Korea, Syria, Bolivia, North Macedonia, and several members with mixed or multi-country heritage spanning Germany, India, Malaysia and the former Yugoslavia.
