Abgeordnetenhaus von Berlin
Encyclopedia
The Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin is the state parliament (Landtag
Landtag
A Landtag is a representative assembly or parliament in German-speaking countries with some legislative authority.- Name :...

) for the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 state
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...

 of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

, according to the state's constitution. The parliament is based at the building on Niederkirchnerstraße in Mitte
Mitte (locality)
Mitte is a central locality of Berlin in the homonymous district of Mitte. Until 2001 it was itself an autonomous district....

 which until 1934 was the seat of the lower house
Lower house
A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...

 of the Preußischer Landtag
Preußischer Landtag
Preußischer Landtag or Prussian Landtag was the Landtag of the Kingdom of Prussia, which was implemented in 1849 after the dissolution of the Prussian National Assembly, building on the tradition of the Prussian estates that had existed from the 14th century in various forms and states in Teutonic...

. The current president of the parliament is Ralf Wieland, SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...

.

History

The Abgeordnetenhaus ("House of Representatives") parliament was established by the new constitution of West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...

 in 1951. It replaced the former city legislature called Stadtverordnetenversammlung (city deputies assembly), established by the Prussian Reforms
Prussian reforms
The Prussian reforms were a series of constitutional, administrative, social and economic reforms of the kingdom of Prussia. They are sometimes known as the Stein-Hardenberg Reforms after Karl Freiherr vom Stein and Karl August Fürst von Hardenberg, their main instigators...

 in 1808 and re-established by Allied-initiated state elections of 1946.

Between 1951 and 1990 Abgeordnetenhaus was a parliament of restricted autonomy, since according to the Allied Control Council
Allied Control Council
The Allied Control Council or Allied Control Authority, known in the German language as the Alliierter Kontrollrat and also referred to as the Four Powers , was a military occupation governing body of the Allied Occupation Zones in Germany after the end of World War II in Europe...

 all its legislation and its elections, such as those of mayors and the senators (then still elected and not yet appointed by the mayor), were subject to Western-Allied confirmation or rejection. Abgeordnetenhaus continued to be the parliament of united Berlin.

2011 Election

The parliament of Berlin is chosen every five years in a general, free, secret and direct ballot according to the principle of proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...

. It consists of at least 130 representatives, 78 chosen directly in the electoral district
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...

s of the Berlin boroughs
Boroughs and localities of Berlin
Berlin is both a city and one of Germany’s federal states. It is made up of twelve boroughs , each with its own borough government, though all boroughs are subject to Berlin’s city and state government.-History:Each borough is made up of several officially recognized localities...

, and 52 indirectly from land or district lists. If a party wins more constituency seats than its overall share of the vote, the overall size of the Abgeordnetenhaus increases because of these overhang
Overhang seat
Overhang seats can arise in elections under the traditional mixed member proportional system, when a party is entitled to fewer seats as a result of party votes than it has won constituencies.-How overhang seats arise:...

 mandates. There is an election threshold
Election threshold
In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...

 of 5%.

The distribution of seats as of the 2011 elections (compared to the 2006 election
Berlin state election, 2006
The Berlin state election, 2006, was held on September 17, 2006, to elect members to the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin.After the elections the Social Democratic Party under Klaus Wowereit and the Left Party formed a coalition government....

) is:
  • Social Democratic Party
    Social Democratic Party of Germany
    The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...

     (SPD): 47 seats (-6)
  • Christian Democratic Union (CDU): 39 seats (+2)
  • Alliance '90/The Greens
    Alliance '90/The Greens
    Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...

    : 29 seats (+6)
  • The Left
    The Left (Germany)
    The Left , also commonly referred to as the Left Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The Left is the most left-wing party of the five represented in the Bundestag....

    : 18 seats (-5)
  • Pirate Party Germany: 15 seats (+15)

The Free Democratic Party
Free Democratic Party
Free Democratic Party is the name of several political parties around the world. It usually designates a party that is ideologically based around liberalism...

 lost all 13 seats.

Functions

The consideration and passing of legislation
Legislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...

 is the most important task, including the government budget
Government budget
A government budget is a legal document that is often passed by the legislature, and approved by the chief executive-or president. For example, only certain types of revenue may be imposed and collected...

. In addition, the parliament chooses the Governing Mayor of Berlin
Governing Mayor of Berlin
The Governing Mayor of Berlin is the head of government in the city-state of Berlin, one of the States of Germany. It is the equivalent of the Ministers-President of the other German states except the two other city-states of Hamburg and Bremen, where the heads of government are called "First...

, and checks the city's government, the Berlin Senate.

Presidents

  • Otto Suhr
    Otto Suhr
    Otto Suhr was a German political figure as a member of the SPD. He served as the mayor of West Berlin between 1955 and 1957....

    , SPD (January 11, 1951 – January 11, 1955)
  • Willy Brandt
    Willy Brandt
    Willy Brandt, born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm , was a German politician, Mayor of West Berlin 1957–1966, Chancellor of West Germany 1969–1974, and leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany 1964–1987....

    , SPD (January 11, 1955 – October 2, 1957)
  • Kurt Landsberg, SPD (October 19, 1957 – March 4, 1958)
  • Willy Henneberg, SPD (March 20, 1958 – September 17, 1961)
  • Otto Friedrich Bach, SPD (September 29, 1961 – April 6, 1967)
  • Walter Sickert, SPD (April 6, 1967 – April 24, 1975)
  • Peter Lorenz
    Peter Lorenz
    Peter Lorenz was a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union .In 1975 Lorenz was a candidate for mayor of West Berlin. He was kidnapped by the militant Movement 2 June group three days before the elections on 27 February...

    , CDU (April 24, 1975 – December 10, 1980)
  • Heinrich Lummer, CDU (December 10, 1980 – June 11, 1981)
  • Peter Rebsch, CDU (June 11, 1981 – March 2, 1989)
  • Jürgen Wohlrabe, CDU (March 2, 1989 – January 11, 1991)
  • Hanna-Renate Laurien
    Hanna-Renate Laurien
    Hanna-Renate Laurien was a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union.- Biography :Laurien was born in Danzig...

    , CDU (January 11, 1991 – November 30, 1995)
  • Herwig Haase, CDU (November 30, 1995 – November 18, 1999)
  • Reinhard Führer, CDU (November 18, 1999 – November 29, 2001)
  • Walter Momper
    Walter Momper
    Walter Momper is a German politician and former Mayor of West Berlin 1989–1990 and Berlin 1990-1991. Whilst Governing Mayor, he served as President of the Bundesrat in 1989/90...

    , SPD (since November 29, 2001 – October 27, 2011)
  • Ralf Wieland, SPD (since October 27, 2011)

External links

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