Bistable electrical relay (1) comprising a first contact (13), a movably mounted, essentially rigid arm (4) coupled thereto and provided with a first connecting point (14, 15, 16), and a second contact (12) coupled to an immovably mounted further arm (11) which is provided with a second connecting point (17, 18). To operate the contacts, electromagnetic drive means (9) are provided which act on the movable arm via spring means (5) for producing contact force. To keep the contacts closed, the drive means are provided with permanent magnets (20), while further spring means (6) act on the movable arm to keep the contacts open. Preferably, leaf springs are used, the two arms being mounted in close proximity in order to make use of the Lorentz force to produce additional contact force in the case of short-circuit currents. A switching module comprising bistable relays is also provided for switching group connecting points in an electrical power installation.