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President of the Bundestag
Deutscher Bundestag logo.svg
2024-05-28-Julia Klöckner-Hart aber fair-5323.jpg
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 ErichKöhlerBundestag.png Erich Köhler
(1892–1958) (aged 66)
7 September 1949 18 October 1950 1 year, 41 days CDU/CSU 1st
2 Hermann Ehlers Relief.jpg Hermann Ehlers
(1904–1954) (aged 50)
19 October 1950 29 October 1954 4 years, 10 days CDU/CSU 1st, 2nd
3 Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F007686-0002, Bonn, Ordensverleihung an Dr. Eugen Gerstenmaier.png Eugen Gerstenmaier
(1906–1986) (aged 79)
16 November 1954 31 January 1969 14 years, 76 days CDU/CSU 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
4 Verteidigungsminister Kai Uwe von Hassel (4909218489).jpg Kai-Uwe von Hassel
(1913–1997) (aged 84)
5 February 1969 13 December 1972 3 years, 312 days CDU/CSU 6th
5 Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F039419-0012, Hannover, SPD-Bundesparteitag, Renger.jpg Annemarie Renger
(1919–2008) (aged 88)
13 December 1972 14 December 1976 4 years, 1 day SPD 7th
6 Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F054633-0020, Ludwigshafen, CDU-Bundesparteitag, Carstens (cropped).jpg Karl Carstens
(1914–1992) (aged 77)
14 December 1976 31 May 1979 2 years, 168 days CDU/CSU 8th
7 KAS-Stücklen, Richard-Bild-630-1.jpg Richard Stücklen
(1916–2002) (aged 85)
31 May 1979 29 March 1983 3 years, 302 days CDU/CSU 8th, 9th
8 KAS-Barzel, Rainer-Bild-14702-1.jpg Rainer Barzel
(1924–2006) (aged 82)
29 March 1983 25 October 1984 1 year, 210 days CDU/CSU 10th
9 KAS-Wirges-Bild-7185-1 (cropped).jpg Philipp Jenninger
(1932–2018) (aged 85)
5 November 1984 11 November 1988 4 years, 6 days CDU/CSU 10th, 11th
10 KAS-Sozialpolitik-Bild-5840-1 (cropped).jpg Rita Süssmuth
(born 1937)
25 November 1988 26 October 1998 9 years, 335 days CDU/CSU 11th, 12th, 13th
11 Festakt Freiheitspreis 5-10-05 021 (cropped).jpg Wolfgang Thierse
(born 1943)
26 October 1998 18 October 2005 6 years, 357 days SPD 14th, 15th
12 Lammert, Norbert-0829.jpg Norbert Lammert
(born 1948)
18 October 2005 24 October 2017 12 years, 6 days CDU/CSU 16th, 17th, 18th
13 4th EPP St Géry Dialogue; Jan. 2014 (12189287345) (cropped).jpg Wolfgang Schäuble
(1942–2023) (aged 81)
24 October 2017 26 October 2021 4 years, 2 days CDU/CSU 19th
14 2025-05-05 Unterzeichnung des Koalitionsvertrages der 21. Wahlperiode des Bundestages by Sandro Halank–033.jpg Bärbel Bas
(born 1968)
26 October 2021 25 March 2025 3 years, 150 days SPD 20th
15 2024-05-28-Julia Klöckner-Hart aber fair-5323.jpg Julia Klöckner
(born 1972)
25 March 2025 Incumbent 131 days CDU/CSU 21st

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Presidente del Bundestag para niños

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