Abstract
1948 was an important election year in South Tyrol, particularly at the local level. On July 11th, 1948, the city of Bolzano held elections to the municipal council for the first time since the fascist takeover and the Second World War. The 1948 local elections marked a successful break with the fascist municipal code under which democratically elected bodies were disempowered. The municipal council was able to regain its central role in the institutional structure of the municipality and affirm the political representation of the citizens. Over the past seventy five years, this role has been consolidated and expanded through a series of legislative reforms that saw a general increase in the importance of the municipality in the political system. This chapter traces the legislative developments regarding the institutional framework and the relations between the three core political bodies of the municipality – municipal council, mayor, and executive committee – since 1948. It highlights interventions regarding the composition of the municipal bodies as well as reforms to the municipal election system and to the area of responsibility of the three core bodies.