President of the Bundestag facts for kids

Quick facts for kids President of the Bundestag
Seal of the Bundestag
Incumbent Julia Klöckner since 25 March 2025
Presidium of the Bundestag
Style	Madam President (when addressed in the Bundestag)
Seat	Reichstag building, Berlin
Nominator	Political parties
Appointer	Bundestag traditionally appointing nominee of the largest party
Term length	Contemporaneous to legislative period
Constituting instrument	German Basic Law
Precursor	President of the Reichstag
Formation	7 September 1949
First holder	Erich Köhler
Deputy	Vice Presidents of the Bundestag

The President of the Bundestag (in German, Präsidentin des Deutschen Bundestages or Bundestagspräsidentin) is a very important person in the Bundestag. The Bundestag is like Germany's main parliament, where laws are made. The President's job is similar to a "speaker" in other countries. They lead the meetings and make sure everything runs smoothly.

In Germany's official ranking, the President of the Bundestag is the second most important person. They are ranked after the President of Germany and before the Chancellor.

The person holding this office right now is Julia Klöckner from the CDU party. She was chosen on March 25, 2025, during the first meeting of the 21st Bundestag.

How the President is Chosen

The President of the Bundestag is elected by all the members of the Bundestag. This election happens at the very first meeting after a federal election. If the position becomes empty later, a new election is held. The person chosen must already be a member of the Bundestag.

Before the new President is elected, a special person leads the meeting. This person is called the Alterspräsident, which means "oldest president" or "father of the House." Since 2017, this has been the member who has served in the Bundestag for the longest time. Before 2017, it was simply the oldest member by age.

Usually, the President of the Bundestag comes from the largest political group in the parliament. This is a long-standing tradition, even though it's not a strict law. The President's term lasts for the entire period that the Bundestag is in session. They can only leave the job early if they decide to quit, leave the Bundestag, or pass away. They can be elected again if they are still a member of the Bundestag in the next election period.

There was only one time when the election for President was not easy. This happened in 1954 after Hermann Ehlers passed away. Two candidates ran for the job, and it took three rounds of voting to choose Eugen Gerstenmaier.

Meet the Vice Presidents

The President of the Bundestag has several helpers called Vice Presidents of the Bundestag. These Vice Presidents usually come from the other main political groups in the parliament.

The number of Vice Presidents has changed over time. In 1949, there were two. Over the years, more were added to make sure different political groups were represented. Since 1994, the rule has been that each major political group should have at least one Vice President.

However, when the AfD party entered parliament in 2017, none of their candidates for Vice President were elected. This has caused some debate. The Federal Constitutional Court has said that while the rules allow the AfD to have a Vice President, no member of the Bundestag is forced to vote for any specific candidate. The job requires a majority vote from the Bundestag members.

Together, the President and the Vice Presidents form a group called the Presidium of the Bundestag. This group helps manage the Bundestag's daily work.

The Vice Presidents in the previous 20th Bundestag were:

• Aydan Özoğuz (SPD)
• Yvonne Magwas (CDU/CSU)
• Katrin Göring-Eckardt (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
• Wolfgang Kubicki (FDP)
• Petra Pau (Die Linke)

What the President Does

The President's main job is to lead the meetings of the Bundestag. They decide who speaks and when, and they open and close debates. They also make sure that discussions are orderly and fair. If someone causes a big problem, the President can even stop that member from attending meetings for a certain number of days.

All new ideas for laws from the government or other parts of the parliament are sent to the President. They also handle all messages and requests that come to the Bundestag. The President also leads the Council of Elders, which takes care of the Bundestag's inner workings.

When a new Federal President needs to be elected, the President of the Bundestag organizes and leads that special meeting.

The President also checks the financial reports of political parties. They make sure party funding is fair and manage how much money parties get back for their election campaigns. The President is also in charge of the parliament's buildings and its own police force. They can stop any searches there to protect the parliament's independence. Plus, they are the boss for all the people who work for the Bundestag.

List of Presidents

Political parties       CDU       SPD

Portrait		Name (Born–Died)	Term of office			Faction	Legislative sessions
			Took office	Left office	Days
1		Erich Köhler (1892–1958) (aged 66)	7 September 1949	18 October 1950	1 year, 41 days	CDU/CSU	1st
2		Hermann Ehlers (1904–1954) (aged 50)	19 October 1950	29 October 1954	4 years, 10 days	CDU/CSU	1st, 2nd
3		Eugen Gerstenmaier (1906–1986) (aged 79)	16 November 1954	31 January 1969	14 years, 76 days	CDU/CSU	2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
4		Kai-Uwe von Hassel (1913–1997) (aged 84)	5 February 1969	13 December 1972	3 years, 312 days	CDU/CSU	6th
5		Annemarie Renger (1919–2008) (aged 88)	13 December 1972	14 December 1976	4 years, 1 day	SPD	7th
6		Karl Carstens (1914–1992) (aged 77)	14 December 1976	31 May 1979	2 years, 168 days	CDU/CSU	8th
7		Richard Stücklen (1916–2002) (aged 85)	31 May 1979	29 March 1983	3 years, 302 days	CDU/CSU	8th, 9th
8		Rainer Barzel (1924–2006) (aged 82)	29 March 1983	25 October 1984	1 year, 210 days	CDU/CSU	10th
9		Philipp Jenninger (1932–2018) (aged 85)	5 November 1984	11 November 1988	4 years, 6 days	CDU/CSU	10th, 11th
10		Rita Süssmuth (born 1937)	25 November 1988	26 October 1998	9 years, 335 days	CDU/CSU	11th, 12th, 13th
11		Wolfgang Thierse (born 1943)	26 October 1998	18 October 2005	6 years, 357 days	SPD	14th, 15th
12		Norbert Lammert (born 1948)	18 October 2005	24 October 2017	12 years, 6 days	CDU/CSU	16th, 17th, 18th
13		Wolfgang Schäuble (1942–2023) (aged 81)	24 October 2017	26 October 2021	4 years, 2 days	CDU/CSU	19th
14		Bärbel Bas (born 1968)	26 October 2021	25 March 2025	3 years, 150 days	SPD	20th
15		Julia Klöckner (born 1972)	25 March 2025	Incumbent	151 days	CDU/CSU	21st

See also

In Spanish: Presidente del Bundestag para niños