Bürgerschaft of Bremen
Encyclopedia
Diet (assembly)
In politics, a diet is a formal deliberative assembly. The term is mainly used historically for the Imperial Diet, the general assembly of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire, and for the legislative bodies of certain countries.-Etymology:...
of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen
Bremen (state)
The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen is the smallest of Germany's 16 states. A more informal name, but used in some official contexts, is Land Bremen .-Geography:...
. It currently consists of 83 members from five parties. The current majority is a coalition of the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
and the 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...
, supporting Mayor and Senate president Jens Böhrnsen
Jens Böhrnsen
Jens Böhrnsen is a German politician of the SPD. Since 2005, he has served as the President of the Senate and Mayor of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, that is, the head of government of the city-state of Bremen...
. The delegates of the city of Bremen also form the Stadtbürgerschaft (the local parliament of the city), while Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
has its own local parliament.
Current composition
After the elections of May 13, 2007, the composition of the Bürgerschaft is as follows:| Party | Seats |
|---|---|
| Social Democratic Party (SPD) Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
32 |
| Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Christian Democratic Union (Germany) The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum... |
23 |
| Alliance '90/The Greens (Die Grünen) 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... |
14 |
| The Left (Die Linke) 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.... |
7 |
| Free Democratic Party (FDP) Free Democratic Party (Germany) The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government... |
5 |
| Factionless | 2 |
Elections are conducted using proportional representation systems in both voting districts Bremen (68 seats) and Bremerhaven (15 seats), with a minimum of 5% vote share per voting district to receive any seats. The 5% rule is used separately, thus allowing the German People's Union
German People's Union
The German People's Union is a nationalist political party in Germany. It was founded by publisher Gerhard Frey as an informal association in 1971 and established as a party in 1987. Financially, it is largely dependent on Frey....
to join the Bürgerschaft by winning 5.7% of the votes in Bremerhaven while winning only 2.75% in the whole state of Bremen.
The 68 members from Bremen also form the Stadtbürgerschaft (city council for the City of Bremen only) - Stadtbürgerschaft is elected by an extended electorate: the minimum age for voting is 16 instead of 18 and all citizens of the European Union are allowed to vote. These additional votes created a green Stadtbürgerschaft-only member and a SPD non-Stadtbürgerschaft member from Bremen(City) after the 2003 elections.
In 1979, the Bremer Grüne Liste managed to join the Bürgerschaft, thus being the first Green Party to ever enter a German Landtag
Landtag
A Landtag is a representative assembly or parliament in German-speaking countries with some legislative authority.- Name :...
.
Originally, Siegfried Tittmann was voted into the Bürgerschaft on the ticket of the right-wing German People's Union
German People's Union
The German People's Union is a nationalist political party in Germany. It was founded by publisher Gerhard Frey as an informal association in 1971 and established as a party in 1987. Financially, it is largely dependent on Frey....
(DVU). He left the party in July 2007 and did not join another party since then, thus being factionless.
Presidents of the Bürgerschaft
So far, the presidents of the Landtag of Bremen have been:- 1946 - 1966 August Hagedorn, Social Democratic Party (SPD)Social Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
- 1966 - 1971 Hermann Engel, Social Democratic Party (SPD)Social Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
- 1971 - 1995 Dieter Klink, Social Democratic Party (SPD)Social Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
- 1995 - 1999 Reinhard Metz, Christian Democratic Union (CDU)Christian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
- since 1999 Christian Weber, Social Democratic Party (SPD)Social Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
See also
- Bremen (state)Bremen (state)The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen is the smallest of Germany's 16 states. A more informal name, but used in some official contexts, is Land Bremen .-Geography:...
- Bremen state election, 1999Bremen state election, 1999The Bremen state election, 1999, was conducted on June 6, 1999, to elect members to the Bürgerschaft of Bremen.- Election system :The Bremen state elections have some differences from other German elections. The 80 seats elected from the city of Bremen and the 20 seats elected from the city of...
- Bremen state election, 2003Bremen state election, 2003The Bremen state election, 2003, was conducted on May 25, 2003, to elect members to the Bürgerschaft of Bremen.-Election System:The Bremen state elections have some differences from other German elections. The 67 seats elected from the city of Bremen and the 16 seats elected from the city of...
- Bremen state election, 2007Bremen state election, 2007State elections were held in Bremen on 13 May 2007 to elect the Bürgerschaft .After the elections, Jens Böhrnsen, the SPD prime minister, was able to pick his future coalition partner. He could either continue the grand coalition with the CDU or form a red-green coalition...