President of the Federal Council of the Federal Republic of Germany
Seal of the Bundesrat
Incumbent Manuela Schwesig 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
Constitution (Basic Law)
Federal Constitutional Court
Human rights
Head of State
President of Germany
Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD)
Executive
Chancellor of Germany (list)
Olaf Scholz (SPD)
Vice Chancellor of Germany
Robert Habeck (Grüne)
Cabinet
Scholz
Federal agencies
Legislature
Bundestag
constituencies
members
Bundesrat
Vermittlungsausschuss
Gemeinsamer Ausschuss
Judiciary
Federal Constitutional Court
Federal courts
Ordinary
Administrative
Fiscal
Labour
Social
Joint Senate
Other courts
Subdivisions
State (Land)
Minister president
State Parliament (Landtag)
composition
Regierungsbezirk
District (Kreis)
list
Collective municipality (Amt)
Municipality (Gemeinde)
list
Elections
Electoral system
Political parties
Referendums
Coalitions
Federal Convention (Bundesversammlung)
Presidential elections
Weimar Republic (1919–1933)
1919
1925
1932
East Germany (1949–1960)
1949
1953
1957
Federal Republic of Germany (since 1949)
1949
1954
1959
1964
1969
1974
1979
1984
1989
1994
1999
2004
2009
2010
2012
2017
2022
Parliamentary election
1867 (Feb)
1867 (Aug)
1868
1871
1874
1877
1878
1881
1884
1887
1890
1893
1898
1903
1907
1912
1919
1920
1924 (May)
1924 (Dec)
1928
1930
1932 (July)
1932 (Nov)
1933 (Mar)
1933 (Nov)
1936
1938
1949
1953
1957
1961
1965
1969
1972
1976
1980
1983
1987
1990
1994
1998
2002
2005
2009
2013
2017
2021
Next
European elections
1979
1984
1989
1994
1999
2004
2009
2014
2019
2024
State and local politics
State Politics
Baden-Württemberg
Bavaria
Berlin
Brandenburg
Bremen
Hamburg
Hesse
Lower Saxony
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
North Rhine-Westphalia
Rhineland-Palatinate
Saarland
Saxony
Saxony-Anhalt
Schleswig-Holstein
Thuringia
Foreign relations
Foreign relations by country
France
Italy
UK
USA
China
Russia
International Relations
Politics of the European Union
Visa
Passport
Political ideologies
Political culture
Communism
Conservatism (Agrarian Conservatism)
Far-right
Liberalism
Social Democracy
Germany portal
Politics portal
Other countries
v
t
e
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.
and 22 Related for: President of the German Bundesrat information
ThepresidentofGermany, officially titled the Federal Presidentofthe Federal Republic ofGermany (German: Bundespräsident der Bundesrepublik Deutschland)...
Bärbel Bas Chancellor – Olaf Scholz President of the GermanBundesrat – Manuela Schwesig Presidentofthe Federal Constitutional Court – Stephan Harbarth 5...
which the governments ofthe sixteen German states are represented. ThepresidentoftheBundesrat is ex officio also deputy to thePresidentofGermany (Basic...
was President of the Bundesrat and ex officio deputy to thePresidentofGermany from 2012 to 2013. He is the first member ofthe Greens to serve in these...
Women and Youth in the third cabinet of Angela Merkel from 2013 to 2017. On 20 October 2023, she was elected PresidentoftheBundesrat. Her one-year term...
Federal Presidentofthe Federal Republic ofGermany (German: Bundespräsident der Bundesrepublik Deutschland). Since German reunification in 1990, the President...
Johannes Rau (German: [joˈhanəs ˈʁaʊ] ; 16 January 1931 – 27 January 2006) was a German politician (SPD). He was thepresidentofGermany from 1 July 1999...
represented at the federal level in theBundesrat (Federal Council), where their voting power depends on the size of their population. Germany is a federal...
Ramelow (German pronunciation: [ˈboːdo ˈʁaməlo]; born 16 February 1956) is a German politician who has served since 4 March 2020 as Minister-Presidentof Thuringia...
Kiesinger was also a member ofthe Landtag of Baden-Württemberg. As Minister–President he was PresidentoftheGermanBundesrat from 1 November 1962 to 31...
and theBundesrat (the representative body ofthe Länder, Germany's regional states). The federal system has, since 1949, been dominated by the Christian...
September 1949, he was elected as the first presidentoftheBundesratofGermany, the representation ofGerman states at the federal level. From 1950 to 1956...
of the country was theBundesrat (Federal Council). It represented the governments ofthe North German states. Prussia had 17 of 43 votes in the Bundesrat...
1954) is a German politician who serves as the Minister Presidentof Saxony-Anhalt. On 9 October 2020, he was elected PresidentoftheBundesrat. His one-year...
Hamburg, he served as PresidentoftheBundesrat (1968–1969). Weichmann was born in Landsberg, Upper Silesia, then part oftheGerman Reich (now Gorzów Śląski...
nominated by theGerman government, plus three additional members ofthe executive board, nominated by theBundesrat. All members ofthe executive board...
husband became acting head of state ofGermany in his capacity as PresidentoftheGermanBundesrat, until the election of Joachim Gauck on 18 March 2012...
chancellor was also nearly always minister presidentof Prussia. Indirectly, this gave him the power oftheBundesrat, including to dissolve parliament. Although...
Global Information
