The Commune, Monaco’s oldest institution

In Monaco, the city and the State are one. The Commune of Monaco, established in the thirteenth century, is one of the Principality’s oldest institutions and has its own remit.

Historically, the Monegasque population, a colony of the Republic of Genoa, began to settle on the Rocher in the early thirteenth century, when the first Palace of Monaco was built in 1215, creating the first small town of Monaco. The community was represented by the heads of household, who followed a custom of meeting in parliament to debate their collective concerns. This assembly was soon consulted by Monaco’s nobility to inform their political decisions.

At that time, City Hall was at the heart of Monaco’s political life. The National Council, whose elected members were then all elected representatives of the Commune, met in City Hall. But the experiment, which was not terribly rational given the small size of the country, came to an end after the First World War, and the single commune was re-established in 1918.

Since then, the Commune of Monaco has been administered by a Mayor and deputies appointed by the Council of the Commune. The 15 members of the Council of the Commune are elected by direct universal suffrage for a term of four years. Georges Marsan has been the Mayor of Monaco since 2003.  It was he who conducted the civil marriage ceremony for Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock on 1 July 2011 in the Throne Room at the Prince’s Palace.

The Commune also supervises La Condamine Market, a vital gathering and shopping spot in the Principality, the Exotic Garden and the Rainier III Outdoor Swimming Stadium.