President of the German Bundesrat
President of the Federal Council of the Federal Republic of Germany | |
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since 1 November 2023 | |
Legislative Branch of the German Federal Government | |
Seat | Berlin, Germany |
Appointer | Bundesrat of Germany |
Term length | One year |
Constituting instrument | German Basic Law |
Inaugural holder | Karl Arnold |
Formation | 1949 |
Website | Official Website |
This article is part of a series on the |
Politics of Germany |
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In Germany, the President of the Bundesrat or President of the Federal Council (German: Bundesratspräsident) is the chairperson (speaker) of the Bundesrat (Federal Council). The president is elected by the Bundesrat for a term of one year (usually from November 1 to October 31 in the next year). Traditionally, the presidency of the Bundesrat rotates among the leaders of the sixteen state governments. This is however only an established practice; theoretically the Bundesrat is free to elect any member it chooses, and a president could also be re-elected (which has happened once, in 1957). As well as acting as a chairperson, the president of the Bundesrat is ex officio deputy of the Federal President. The President of the German Federal Council is 4th in the German order of precedence. In addition, the main celebration of German Unity Day is traditionally held in the state that holds the presidency.
The president of the Bundesrat convenes and chairs plenary sessions of the body and is formally responsible for representing the Federal Republic in the Bundesrat. The president is aided by two vice presidents who play an advisory role and deputise in the president's absence. The three together constitute the presidium of the Bundesrat.
The current president of the Bundesrat is Manuela Schwesig, the Minister-President of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, whose one-year term started on 1 November 2023.
Election
[edit]The Basic Law provides that "the Bundesrat elects its President for one year" (Art. 52.1). In order to be elected, a nominee needs a majority of votes in the Bundesrat (currently 35 of 69).
In practice the position rotates among the states equally, following a constitutional convention known as the “Königstein agreement” (Königsteiner Vereinbarung). The position rotates from one state to another in an order determined by population, the presidency descending from the most populous state to the least. The order is updated based on the newest census-data everytime a rotation has been completed.
The Königsstein agreement also states that, if the sitting President of the Bundesrat exits his office as Minister-President, by losing a state election, resignation, or death, the new Minister-President of that state is elected President of the Bundesrat subsequently, but only to complete their predecessors term. The last time this occurred was in April 1999, when Hans Eichel, President of the Bundesrat and Minister-President of Hesse, had lost the 1999 Hesse state election and his successor Roland Koch served the end of his term until October 1999. The current order of rotation of the presidency of the Bundesrat is as follows:
- North Rhine-Westphalia
- Bavaria
- Baden-Württemberg
- Lower Saxony
- Hesse
- Saxony
- Rhineland-Palatinate
- Berlin
- Schleswig-Holstein
- Brandenburg
- Saxony-Anhalt
- Thuringia
- Hamburg
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
- Saarland
- Bremen
Deputy to the Federal President
[edit]Article 57 of the Basic Law provides that:
- If the Federal President is unable to perform his duties, or if his office falls prematurely vacant, the President of the Bundesrat shall exercise his powers.
If the office of the Federal President falls vacant, the President of the Bundesrat fills in as acting President. While doing so, they do not continue to exercise the role of chair of the Bundesrat.[1] If the president resigns, dies, or is removed from office, a successor is elected within thirty days.
Three Presidents of the Bundesrat have served as acting Presidents:
- Karl Arnold (from 7 September 1949 to 12 September 1949 after he was elected as President of the Bundesrat and before Theodor Heuss was elected as the first President of Germany. With a tenure of only six days he is yet the shortest serving head of state in German history)
- Jens Böhrnsen (from 31 May 2010 to 30 June 2010 after the resignation of Horst Köhler and before the election of Christian Wulff)
- Horst Seehofer (from 17 February 2012 to 18 March 2012 after the resignation of Christian Wulff and before the election of Joachim Gauck)
If the Federal President is abroad on a state visit the President of the Bundesrat does not assume all of the Federal President's responsibilities but may "deputise" for him or her, performing on the Federal President's behalf merely those tasks that require his or her physical presence, such as the signing of documents.[2]
List of presidents
[edit]- Political Party
No. | Portrait | President of the Bundesrat | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | State |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Karl Arnold (1901–1958) | 7 September 1949 | 8 September 1950 | 1 year, 1 day | CDU | North Rhine-Westphalia | |
2 | Hans Ehard (1887–1980) | 8 September 1950 | 7 September 1951 | 364 days | CSU | Bavaria | |
3 | Hinrich Wilhelm Kopf (1893–1961) | 7 September 1951 | 6 September 1952 | 365 days | SPD | Lower Saxony | |
4 | Reinhold Maier (1889–1971) | 7 September 1952 | 6 September 1953 | 364 days | FDP | Baden-Württemberg | |
5 | Georg August Zinn (1901–1976) | 7 September 1953 | 6 September 1954 | 364 days | SPD | Hesse | |
6 | Peter Altmeier (1899–1977) | 7 September 1954 | 6 September 1955 | 364 days | CDU | Rhineland-Palatinate | |
7 | Kai-Uwe von Hassel (1913–1997) | 7 September 1955 | 6 September 1956 | 365 days | CDU | Schleswig-Holstein | |
8 | Kurt Sieveking (1897–1986) | 7 September 1956 | 31 October 1957[a] | 1 year, 54 days | CDU | Hamburg | |
9 | Willy Brandt (1913–1992) | 1 November 1957 | 31 October 1958 | 364 days | SPD | West Berlin | |
10 | Wilhelm Kaisen (1887–1979) | 1 November 1958 | 31 October 1959 | 364 days | SPD | Bremen | |
11 | Franz Josef Röder (1909–1979) | 1 November 1959 | 31 October 1960 | 365 days | CDU | Saarland | |
12 | Franz Meyers (1908–2002) | 1 November 1960 | 31 October 1961 | 365 days | CDU | North Rhine-Westphalia | |
13 (2) | Hans Ehard (1887–1980) | 1 November 1961 | 31 October 1962 | 364 days | CSU | Bavaria | |
14 | Kurt Georg Kiesinger (1904–1988) | 1 November 1962 | 31 October 1963 | 364 days | CDU | Baden-Württemberg | |
15 | Georg Diederichs (1900–1983) | 1 November 1963 | 31 October 1964 | 364 days | SPD | Lower Saxony | |
16 (5) | Georg August Zinn (1901–1976) | 1 November 1964 | 31 October 1965 | 364 days | SPD | Hesse | |
17 (6) | Peter Altmeier (1899–1977) | 1 November 1965 | 31 October 1966 | 364 days | CDU | Rhineland-Palatinate | |
18 | Helmut Lemke (1907–1990) | 1 November 1966 | 31 October 1967 | 364 days | CDU | Schleswig-Holstein | |
19 | Klaus Schütz (1926–2012) | 1 November 1967 | 31 October 1968 | 365 days | SPD | West Berlin | |
20 | Herbert Weichmann (1896–1983) | 1 November 1968 | 31 October 1969 | 364 days | SPD | Hamburg | |
21 (11) | Franz Josef Röder (1909–1979) | 1 November 1969 | 31 October 1970 | 364 days | CDU | Saarland | |
22 | Hans Koschnick (1929–2016) | 1 November 1970 | 31 October 1971 | 364 days | SPD | Bremen | |
23 | Heinz Kühn (1912–1992) | 1 November 1971 | 31 October 1972 | 365 days | SPD | North Rhine-Westphalia | |
24 | Alfons Goppel (1905–1991) | 1 November 1972 | 31 October 1973 | 364 days | CSU | Bavaria | |
25 | Hans Filbinger (1913–2007) | 1 November 1973 | 31 October 1974 | 364 days | CDU | Baden-Württemberg | |
26 | Alfred Kubel (1909–1999) | 1 November 1974 | 31 October 1975 | 364 days | SPD | Lower Saxony | |
27 | Albert Osswald (1919–1996) | 1 November 1975 | 20 October 1976 (membership ended)[b] | 354 days | SPD | Hesse | |
The office was vacant from 20 October to 3 December 1976. | |||||||
28 | Bernhard Vogel (born 1932) | 3 December 1976 | 31 October 1977 | 321 days | CDU | Rhineland-Palatinate | |
29 | Gerhard Stoltenberg (1928–2001) | 1 November 1977 | 31 October 1978 | 364 days | CDU | Schleswig-Holstein | |
30 | Dietrich Stobbe (1938–2011) | 1 November 1978 | 31 October 1979 | 364 days | SPD | West Berlin | |
31 | Hans-Ulrich Klose (1937–2023) | 1 November 1979 | 31 October 1980 | 365 days | SPD | Hamburg | |
32 | Werner Zeyer (1929–2000) | 1 November 1980 | 31 October 1981 | 364 days | CDU | Saarland | |
33 (22) | Hans Koschnick (1929–2016) | 1 November 1981 | 31 October 1982 | 364 days | SPD | Bremen | |
34 | Johannes Rau (1931–2006) | 1 November 1982 | 31 October 1983 | 364 days | SPD | North Rhine-Westphalia | |
35 | Franz Josef Strauss (1915–1988) | 1 November 1983 | 31 October 1984 | 365 days | CSU | Bavaria | |
36 | Lothar Späth (1937–2016) | 1 November 1984 | 31 October 1985 | 364 days | CDU | Baden-Württemberg | |
37 | Ernst Albrecht (1930–2014) | 1 November 1985 | 31 October 1986 | 364 days | CDU | Lower Saxony | |
38 | Holger Börner (1931–2006) | 1 November 1986 | 24 April 1987 (membership ended)[c] | 174 days | SPD | Hesse | |
The office was vacant from 24 April to 15 May 1987. | |||||||
39 | Walter Wallmann (1932–2013) | 15 May 1987 | 31 October 1987 | 169 days | CDU | Hesse | |
40 (28) | Bernhard Vogel (born 1932) | 1 November 1987 | 31 October 1988 | 365 days | CDU | Rhineland-Palatinate | |
41 | Björn Engholm (born 1939) | 1 November 1988 | 31 October 1989 | 364 days | SPD | Schleswig-Holstein | |
42 | Walter Momper (born 1945) | 1 November 1989 | 31 October 1990 | 364 days | SPD | West Berlin (until 2 October 1990) Berlin (3–31 October 1990) | |
43 | Henning Voscherau (1941–2016) | 1 November 1990 | 31 October 1991 | 364 days | SPD | Hamburg | |
44 | Alfred Gomolka (1942–2020) | 1 November 1991 | 19 March 1992 (membership ended)[d] | 139 days | CDU | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | |
The office was vacant from 19 March to 15 May 1992. | |||||||
45 | Berndt Seite (born 1940) | 15 May 1992 | 31 October 1992 | 169 days | CDU | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | |
46 | Oskar Lafontaine (born 1943) | 1 November 1992 | 31 October 1993 | 364 days | SPD | Saarland | |
47 | Klaus Wedemeier (born 1944) | 1 November 1993 | 31 October 1994 | 364 days | SPD | Bremen | |
48 (34) | Johannes Rau (1931–2006) | 1 November 1994 | 31 October 1995 | 364 days | SPD | North Rhine-Westphalia | |
49 | Edmund Stoiber (born 1941) | 1 November 1995 | 31 October 1996 | 365 days | CSU | Bavaria | |
50 | Erwin Teufel (born 1939) | 1 November 1996 | 31 October 1997 | 364 days | CDU | Baden-Württemberg | |
51 | Gerhard Schröder (born 1944) | 1 November 1997 | 27 October 1998 (resigned to become Chancellor)[e] | 360 days | SPD | Lower Saxony | |
The office was vacant from 27 October to 1 November 1998. | |||||||
52 | Hans Eichel (born 1941) | 1 November 1998 | 7 April 1999 (membership ended)[f] | 157 days | SPD | Hesse | |
The office was vacant from 7 April to 30 April 1999. | |||||||
53 | Roland Koch (born 1958) | 30 April 1999 | 31 October 1999 | 184 days | CDU | Hesse | |
54 | Kurt Biedenkopf (1930–2021) | 1 November 1999 | 31 October 2000 | 365 days | CDU | Saxony | |
55 | Kurt Beck (born 1949) | 1 November 2000 | 31 October 2001 | 364 days | SPD | Rhineland-Palatinate | |
56 | Klaus Wowereit (born 1953) | 1 November 2001 | 31 October 2002 | 364 days | SPD | Berlin | |
57 | Wolfgang Böhmer (born 1936) | 1 November 2002 | 31 October 2003 | 364 days | CDU | Saxony-Anhalt | |
58 | Dieter Althaus (born 1958) | 1 November 2003 | 31 October 2004 | 365 days | CDU | Thuringia | |
59 | Matthias Platzeck (born 1953) | 1 November 2004 | 31 October 2005 | 364 days | SPD | Brandenburg | |
60 | Peter Harry Carstensen (born 1947) | 1 November 2005 | 31 October 2006 | 364 days | CDU | Schleswig-Holstein | |
61 | Harald Ringstorff (1939–2020) | 1 November 2006 | 31 October 2007 | 364 days | SPD | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | |
62 | Ole von Beust (born 1955) | 1 November 2007 | 31 October 2008 | 365 days | CDU | Hamburg | |
63 | Peter Müller (born 1955) | 1 November 2008 | 31 October 2009 | 364 days | CDU | Saarland | |
64 | Jens Böhrnsen (born 1949) | 1 November 2009 | 31 October 2010 | 364 days | SPD | Bremen | |
65 | Hannelore Kraft (born 1961) | 1 November 2010 | 31 October 2011 | 364 days | SPD | North Rhine-Westphalia | |
66 | Horst Seehofer (born 1949) | 1 November 2011 | 31 October 2012 | 365 days | CSU | Bavaria | |
67 | Winfried Kretschmann (born 1948) | 1 November 2012 | 31 October 2013 | 364 days | Greens | Baden-Württemberg | |
68 | Stephan Weil (born 1958) | 1 November 2013 | 31 October 2014 | 364 days | SPD | Lower Saxony | |
69 | Volker Bouffier (born 1951) | 1 November 2014 | 31 October 2015 | 364 days | CDU | Hesse | |
70 | Stanislaw Tillich (born 1959) | 1 November 2015 | 31 October 2016 | 365 days | CDU | Saxony | |
71 | Malu Dreyer (born 1961) | 1 November 2016 | 31 October 2017 | 364 days | SPD | Rhineland-Palatinate | |
72 | Michael Müller (born 1964) | 1 November 2017 | 31 October 2018 | 364 days | SPD | Berlin | |
73 | Daniel Günther (born 1973) | 1 November 2018 | 31 October 2019 | 364 days | CDU | Schleswig-Holstein | |
74 | Dietmar Woidke (born 1961) | 1 November 2019 | 31 October 2020 | 365 days | SPD | Brandenburg | |
75 | Reiner Haseloff (born 1954) | 1 November 2020 | 31 October 2021 | 364 days | CDU | Saxony-Anhalt | |
76 | Bodo Ramelow (born 1956) | 1 November 2021 | 31 October 2022 | 364 days | Left | Thuringia | |
77 | Peter Tschentscher (born 1966) | 1 November 2022 | 31 October 2023 | 364 days | SPD | Hamburg | |
78 | Manuela Schwesig (born 1974) | 1 November 2023 | Incumbent | 305 days | SPD | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Otto Suhr was elected as President of the Bundesrat in July 1957 but died on 30 August 1957, before his term of office began. In order to prevent an imminent vacancy in the presidency at the beginning of the new fiscal year on September 7, 1957, the incumbent, the First Mayor of Hamburg Kurt Sieveking was then re-elected as President of the Bundesrat on 6 September 1957. In its 184th session on 25 October 1957, the Bundesrat set a new fiscal year period (1 November 1 to 31 October) and elected Willy Brandt as President of the German Bundesrat for the fiscal year beginning on 1 November 1957.
- ^ On October 20, 1976, Albert Osswald had to leave the Hessian state government and thus the Bundesrat.
- ^ On 24 April 1987, Holger Börner had to leave the Hessian state government and thus the Bundesrat.
- ^ On 19 March 1992, Alfred Gomolka had to leave the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state government and thus the Bundesrat.
- ^ On 27 October 1998, Gerhard Schröder resigned as Minister President of Lower Saxony and thus as President of the German Bundesrat, as he was appointed as Chancellor of Germany on the same day.
- ^ On 7 April 1999, Hans Eichel had to leave the Hessian state government and thus the Bundesrat.
References
[edit]- ^ "Geschäftsordnung des Bundesrates" [Rules of Procedure of the Bundesrat] (PDF). §7 (1). Retrieved 7 November 2016.
Die Vizepräsidenten vertreten den Präsidenten im Falle seiner Verhinderung oder bei vorzeitiger Beendigung seines Amtes nach Maßgabe ihrer Reihenfolge. Ein Fall der Verhinderung liegt auch vor, solange der Präsident des Bundesrates nach Artikel 57 des Grundgesetzes die Befugnisse des Bundespräsidenten wahrnimmt.
- ^ "Bouffier und Tillich vertreten Bundespräsidenten".
External links
[edit]- The Bundesrat - President and Presidium (Official Bundesrat website)
- "Präsidenten des Bundesrates seit 1949" (in German)
- Official Bundesrat website (English).