President of the Bundestag facts for kids

Quick facts for kids President of the Bundestag
Seal of the Bundestag
Incumbent Bärbel Bas since 26 October 2021
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 is a very important person in the German government. They lead the meetings of the Bundestag, which is Germany's main parliament. Think of them like a speaker in other countries' parliaments.

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

The person holding this job right now is Bärbel Bas. She is from the SPD. She was chosen for this role on October 26, 2021.

How the President of the Bundestag is Chosen

The President of the Bundestag is chosen by all the members of the Bundestag. This happens at the very first meeting after a federal election. If the job becomes empty later, a new election is held.

To be the President, you must already be a member of the Bundestag. Before the new President is elected, the meeting is led by the Alterspräsident. This person is the member who has served in the Bundestag for the longest time.

Who Usually Becomes President?

Usually, the President of the Bundestag comes from the largest group of parties in the parliament. This is a tradition that started a long time ago. However, it's not a strict law.

The President's term in office lasts as long as the current parliament. They can only leave the job early if they quit, leave the Bundestag, or pass away. They can be chosen again if they are still a member of the Bundestag in the next election.

A Rare Election Contest

Normally, the President of the Bundestag is chosen without anyone else running against them. There has only been one time when this didn't happen. This was in 1954 after the President at the time, Hermann Ehlers, passed away.

Two people ran for the job then. Eugen Gerstenmaier won by a small number of votes.

The Presidium of the Bundestag

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

How Vice Presidents are Chosen

For a long time, the number of Vice Presidents was not fixed. In 1949, two were chosen. Over the years, more Vice Presidents were added as new political groups became important.

Since 1994, the rule changed. Now, each major group of parties in the Bundestag should have at least one Vice President. This means more different voices are represented.

However, sometimes a party's candidate for Vice President is not elected. This happened with the AfD party starting in 2017. The Federal Constitutional Court of Germany has said that while parties have a right to propose a Vice President, members of parliament don't have to vote for any specific person. The job still needs a majority vote to be filled.

Together, the President and the Vice Presidents form the Presidium of the Bundestag. They work together to manage the parliament's activities.

Current Vice Presidents

In the current 20th Bundestag, the Vice Presidents are:

• 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 of the Bundestag has many important jobs.

Leading Parliament Meetings

Their most important job is to lead the meetings of the Bundestag. They decide who speaks and when. They also make sure that debates are orderly and fair. If someone causes a big problem, the President can even stop them from attending meetings for a while.

Managing Parliament's Work

All new laws proposed by the government or parliament groups go to the President. They also handle all official requests and petitions. The President also leads the Council of Elders. This group helps manage the daily business of the Bundestag.

When a new Federal President is chosen, the President of the Bundestag organizes and leads that special meeting.

Other Important Tasks

The President also checks the financial reports of political parties. They oversee how parties are funded and how much they spend on campaigns. They are also in charge of the parliament's buildings and its security staff. They can stop searches in the parliament to protect its independence. The President is also 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			Political party/parliamentary group	Legislative periods
			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	Incumbent	3 years, 253 days	SPD	20th

See also

In Spanish: Presidente del Bundestag para niños