Global InformationBundestag information
German Bundestag Deutscher Bundestag | |
|---|---|
| 20th Bundestag | |
 | |
| History | |
| Established | 7 September 1949 |
| Preceded by | Reichstag (Nazi Germany, 1933–1945) |
| Leadership | |
President of the Bundestag | Bärbel Bas, SPD since 26 October 2021 |
Vice presidents of the Bundestag | Aydan Özoğuz, SPD since 26 October 2021 |
Yvonne Magwas, CDU/CSU since 26 October 2021 | |
Katrin Göring-Eckardt, Alliance 90/The Greens since 9 December 2021 | |
Wolfgang Kubicki, FDP since 24 October 2017 | |
Petra Pau, The Left since 7 April 2006 | |
Vacant, AfD[a] | |
President by right of age | Peter Ramsauer, CDU/CSU since 26 December 2023 |
Chancellor | Olaf Scholz, SPD since 8 December 2021 |
Leader of the Opposition[b] | Friedrich Merz, CDU/CSU since 15 February 2022 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 734[1][2] |
 | |
Political groups | Government (416)
Opposition (318)
|
| Elections | |
Voting system | Mixed-member proportional representation (MMP) with leveling seats |
Last election | 26 September 2021 |
Next election | On or before 26 October 2025 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Reichstag building Mitte, Berlin, Germany | |
| Website | |
| www | |
| Rules | |
| Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag and Mediation Committee (English) | |
| This article is part of a series on the |
| Politics of Germany |
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The Bundestag (German pronunciation: [ˈbʊndəstaːk] ⓘ, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people, comparable to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The Bundestag was established by Title III[c] of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Grundgesetz, pronounced [ˈɡʁʊntɡəˌzɛt͡s] ⓘ) in 1949 as one of the legislative bodies of Germany and thus it is the historical successor to the earlier Reichstag.
The members of the Bundestag are representatives of the German people as a whole, are not bound by any orders or instructions and are only accountable to their electorate.[d] The minimum legal number of members of the Bundestag (German: Mitglieder des Bundestages) is 598;[e] however, due to the system of overhang and leveling seats the current 20th Bundestag has a total of 735 members, making it the largest Bundestag to date and the largest freely elected national parliamentary chamber in the world.[3]
The Bundestag is elected every four years by German citizens[f] aged 18 and older.[g] Elections use a mixed-member proportional representation system which combines first-past-the-post elected seats with a proportional party list to ensure its composition mirrors the national popular vote. An early election is only possible in the cases outlined in Articles 63 and 68 of the Grundgesetz
The Bundestag has several functions. It is the chief legislative body on the federal level. The individual states (Bundesländer) of Germany participate in the legislative process through the Bundesrat, a separate assembly.[4] The Bundestag also elects and oversees the chancellor, Germany's head of government, and sets the government budget.
Since 1999, it has met in the Reichstag building in Berlin.[5] The Bundestag also operates in multiple new government buildings in Berlin and has its own police force (the Bundestagspolizei). The current president of the Bundestag since 2021 is Bärbel Bas of the SPD. The 20th Bundestag has five vice presidents and is the most visited parliament in the world.[6]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "Deutscher Bundestag - Abgeordnete". Deutscher Bundestag (in German). Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ "Scheuer legt Mandat nieder: Warum sein Sitz nun leer bleibt". ZDFheute (in German). 2 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
- ^ Mayer, Tilman (14 July 2021). "Das größte Parlament der Welt wächst und wächst: Politik bläht Bundestag immer weiter auf". FOCUS online. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland (PDF) (23 December 2014 ed.). Bonn: Parlamentarischer Rat. 8 May 1949. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
- ^ "Plenarsaal "Deutscher Bundestag" – The Path of Democracy". www.wegderdemokratie.de. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- ^ "German Bundestag - From the Parliamentary Council to the most visited parliament..." German Bundestag. Retrieved 17 August 2022.