The Presidium of the Bundestag is responsible for the routine administration of the Bundestag, including its clerical and research activities. The presidium consists of the President of the Bundestag and a variable number of Vice Presidents, currently six.[1] [2]
The presidium is elected by the Bundestag during its first meeting after an election; by tradition, the largest faction in the Bundestag has the right to nominate a candidate for the post of president. On the first two ballots, a nominee needs a majority of all Bundestag members (Chancellor majority) in order to be elected; on the third ballot a plurality (more yes- than no-votes) is sufficient. His or her term ends with the end of the legislature, but they can be re-elected, as long as he or she is re-elected as member of the Bundestag.[3]
Besides the president, the presidium also consists of a varying number of vice presidents, who are also elected during the first session of each legislative period. Since 1994, the Bundestag's standing rules state that the minimum number of vice presidents has to equal the number of factions and give every faction the right to nominate one vice president. Nevertheless, like the president, each vice president has to be elected by a majority of the whole house on the first two or a plurality on the third ballot; this can result (and already has) in the outcome that the actual number of sitting vice presidents does not equal the number of factions, if a faction does not succeed in naming a candidate, who is acceptable to at least the necessary majority. The Bundestag may decide to elect additional vice presidents. For example, in the 18th Bundestag (2013–2017), which only consisted of four factions, the two biggest factions (CDU/CSU and SPD) were each entitled to nominate a second vice president, as a presidium of only five persons was considered too small to fulfill its tasks.
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erich Köhler Hermann Ehlers | 1949−1950 1950−1953 | CDU CDU | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Carlo Schmid Hermann Schäfer | 1949−1953 1949−1953 | SPD FDP |
Erich Köhler resigned as President of the Bundestag on 18 October 1950 in the wake of cross-party criticism of his conduct of office. Hermann Ehlers was elected as his successor on 19 October.
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hermann Ehlers Eugen Gerstenmaier | 1953−1954 1954−1957 | CDU CDU | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Carlo Schmid Richard Jaeger Ludwig Schneider Max Becker Ludwig Schneider | 1953−1957 1953−1957 1953−1956 1956−1957 1956−1957 | SPD CSU FDP FDP FVP/DP |
Hermann Ehlers died on 29 October 1954. On 16 November 1954, Eugen Gerstenmaier was elected to the vacant post.
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eugen Gerstenmaier | 1957−1961 | CDU | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Carlo Schmid Richard Jaeger Max Becker Thomas Dehler Victor-Emanuel Preusker | 1957−1961 1957−1961 1957−1960 1960−1961 1958−1960 | SPD CSU FDP FDP DVP/DP/CDU |
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eugen Gerstenmaier | 1961−1965 | CDU | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Carlo Schmid Erwin Schoettle Richard Jaeger Thomas Dehler | 1961−1965 1961−1965 1961−1965 1961−1965 | SPD SPD CSU FDP |
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eugen Gerstenmaier Kai-Uwe von Hassel | 1965−1969 1969 | CDU CDU | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Carlo Schmid Karl Momper Erwin Schoettle Richard Jaeger Maria Probst Thomas Dehler Walter Scheel | 1965−1966 1966−1969 1965−1969 1965, 1967–1969 1965−1967 1965−1967 1967−1969 | SPD SPD SPD CSU CSU FDP FDP |
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kai-Uwe von Hassel | 1969−1972 | CDU | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Carlo Schmid Hermann Schmitt-Vockenhausen Richard Jaeger Liselotte Funcke | 1969−1972 1969−1972 1969−1972 1969−1972 | SPD SPD CSU FDP |
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annemarie Renger | 1972−1976 | SPD | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Hermann Schmitt-Vockenhausen Kai-Uwe von Hassel Richard Jaeger Liselotte Funcke | 1972−1976 1972−1976 1972−1976 1972−1976 | SPD CDU CSU FDP |
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karl Carstens Richard Stücklen | 1976−1979 1979−1980 | CDU CSU | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Annemarie Renger Hermann Schmitt-Vockenhausen Georg Leber Richard Stücklen Richard von Weizsäcker Liselotte Funcke Richard Wurbs | 1976−1980 1976−1979 1979−1980 1976−1979 1979−1980 1976−1979 1979−1980 | SPD SPD SPD CSU CDU FDP FDP |
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Stücklen | 1980−1983 | CSU | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Annemarie Renger Georg Leber Richard von Weizsäcker Heinrich Windelen Richard Wurbs | 1980−1983 1980−1983 1980−1981 1981−1983 1980−1983 | SPD SPD CDU CDU FDP |
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rainer Barzel Philipp Jenninger | 1983−1984 1984−1987 | CDU CDU | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Annemarie Renger Heinz Westphal Richard Stücklen Richard Wurbs Dieter-Julius Cronenberg | 1983−1987 1983−1987 1983−1987 1983−1984 1984−1987 | SPD SPD CSU FDP FDP |
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philipp Jenninger Rita Süssmuth | 1987−1988 1988−1990 | CDU CDU | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Annemarie Renger Heinz Westphal Richard Stücklen Dieter-Julius Cronenberg | 1987−1990 1987−1990 1987−1990 1987−1990 | SPD SPD CSU FDP |
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rita Süssmuth | 1990−1994 | CDU | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Helmut Becker Renate Schmidt Hans Klein Dieter-Julius Cronenberg | 1990−1994 1990−1994 1990−1994 1990−1994 | SPD SPD CSU FDP |
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rita Süssmuth | 1994−1998 | CDU | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Hans-Ulrich Klose Hans Klein Michaela Geiger Burkhard Hirsch Antje Vollmer | 1994−1998 1994−1996 1997−1998 1994−1998 1995−1998 | SPD CSU CSU FDP Alliance 90/The Greens |
Hans Klein died on 26 November 1996. On 16 January 1997, Michaela Geiger was elected to the vacant post.
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolfgang Thierse | 1998−2002 | SPD | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Anke Fuchs Rudolf Seiters Hermann Otto Solms Antje Vollmer Petra Bläss | 1998−2002 1998−2002 1998−2002 1998−2002 1998−2002 | SPD CDU FDP Alliance 90/The Greens PDS |
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolfgang Thierse | 2002−2005 | SPD | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Suzanne Kastner Norbert Lammert Hermann Otto Solms Antje Vollmer | 2002−2005 2002−2005 2002−2005 2002−2005 | SPD CDU/CSU FDP Alliance 90/The Greens |
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norbert Lammert | 2005−2009 | CDU | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Suzanne Kastner Wolfgang Thierse Gerda Hasselfeldt Hermann Otto Solms Katrin Göring-Eckardt Petra Pau | 2005−2009 2005−2009 2005−2009 2005−2009 2005−2009 2006−2009 | SPD SPD CSU FDP Alliance 90/The Greens The Left |
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norbert Lammert | 2009−2013 | CDU | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Gerda Hasselfeldt Eduard Oswald Wolfgang Thierse Hermann Otto Solms Katrin Göring-Eckardt Petra Pau | 2009−2011 2011−2013 2009−2013 2009−2013 2009−2013 2009−2013 | CSU CSU SPD FDP Alliance 90/The Greens The Left |
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norbert Lammert | 2013−2017 | CDU | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Johannes Singhammer Edelgard Bulmahn Petra Pau Claudia Roth Peter Hintze Michaela Noll Ulla Schmidt | 2013−2017 2013−2017 2013−2017 2013−2017 2013−2016 2017 2013−2017 | CSU SPD The Left Alliance 90/The Greens CDU CDU SPD |
The CDU Vice President Peter Hintze died on 26 November 2016. On 19 January 2017, Michaela Noll was elected to the vacant post.[4]
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolfgang Schäuble | 2017–2021 | CDU | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Hans-Peter Friedrich Thomas Oppermann Dagmar Ziegler — Wolfgang Kubicki Petra Pau Claudia Roth | 2017–2021 2017–2020 2020–2021 2017–2021 2017–2021 2017–2021 2017–2021 | CSU SPD SPD AfD FDP The Left Alliance 90/The Greens |
The SPD's Vice President Thomas Oppermann died on 25 October 2020, Dagmar Ziegler was elected to the vacant post.
The AfD was represented in the 19th Bundestag with faction status and had the right to nominate a vice president. However, in 18 election rounds during the entire legislative period, none of the six proposed candidates achieved the necessary majority.
| President | Period | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bärbel Bas | 2021– | SPD | |
| Vice President | Period | Party | |
| Aydan Özoğuz Yvonne Magwas Claudia Roth Katrin Göring-Eckardt Wolfgang Kubicki — Petra Pau | 2021– 2021– 2021 2021– 2021– 2021– 2021– | SPD CDU Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens FDP AfD The Left |
Claudia Roth resigned her post as vice president on 8 December 2021 upon entering office as State Minister and Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media. Katrin Göring-Eckardt, who already had served as vice president in the 16th and 17th Bundestag, was elected to the post one day later, on 9 December 2021.
The AfD is represented in the 20th Bundestag with faction status and has the right to nominate a vice president. However, as of summer 2024, none of the 30+ proposed candidates has achieved the necessary majority.