President of the German Bundesrat Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids President of the Federal Council of the Federal Republic of Germany
Seal of the Bundesrat
Incumbent Anke Rehlinger since 1 November 2024
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: http://www.bundesrat.de/EN/organisation-en/praesident-en/praesident-en-node.html

In Germany, the President of the Bundesrat is a very important person. They are like the chairperson or "speaker" of the Bundesrat. The Bundesrat is also called the Federal Council. It's one of Germany's two main law-making groups.

The President is chosen by the members of the Bundesrat. They serve for one year, usually from November 1st to October 31st. It's a tradition that the leaders of Germany's sixteen states take turns being President. These leaders are called Minister-Presidents.

Besides leading the Bundesrat, the President also steps in for the Federal President if needed. This makes them a very important figure in Germany's government. The President of the Bundesrat is the fourth most important person in the German government's official ranking. Also, the big celebration for German Unity Day is usually held in the state whose leader is the current President.

The President of the Bundesrat is in charge of calling and leading all the meetings. They also officially represent the Bundesrat. Two Vice Presidents help the President. They give advice and take over if the President is away. These three people together form the "presidium" of the Bundesrat.

Currently, Anke Rehlinger is the President of the Bundesrat. She is the Minister-President of Saarland. Her one-year term started on November 1, 2024.

How the President is Chosen
What if the Federal President Can't Work?
Images for kids
See also

How the President is Chosen

The Basic Law of Germany is like its main rulebook. It says that "the Bundesrat elects its President for one year." To be chosen, a person needs more than half of the votes in the Bundesrat. Right now, that means 35 out of 69 votes.

In real life, the job rotates among the German states. This is based on a long-standing agreement. It's called the "Königstein agreement." This agreement says the job moves from the state with the most people to the state with the fewest. The order is updated regularly based on new population numbers.

The Königstein agreement also has a rule for special cases. If the President stops being a Minister-President, for example, by losing an election, the new Minister-President of that state takes over. They only finish the rest of the original President's term. This happened in 1999. Hans Eichel lost an election, and Roland Koch finished his term.

Here is the current order of states for the presidency:

What if the Federal President Can't Work?

Germany's Basic Law also has a special rule for the President of the Bundesrat. It says: "If the Federal President is unable to perform his duties, or if his office falls prematurely vacant, the President of the Bundesrat shall exercise his powers."

This means if the Federal President can't do their job, or if the job becomes empty, the President of the Bundesrat steps in. They act as the temporary Federal President. When they do this, they don't continue to lead the Bundesrat meetings. If the Federal President resigns, dies, or is removed, a new one is chosen within 30 days.

Three Presidents of the Bundesrat have acted as temporary Federal Presidents:

Karl Arnold: He served for only six days in 1949. This was before Theodor Heuss became the first official President of Germany.
Jens Böhrnsen: He stepped in from May 31 to June 30, 2010. This was after Horst Köhler resigned and before Christian Wulff was elected.
Horst Seehofer: He served from February 17 to March 18, 2012. This was after Christian Wulff resigned and before Joachim Gauck was elected.

If the Federal President travels to another country, the President of the Bundesrat doesn't take over all their duties. But they can help out with tasks that need the Federal President to be physically present, like signing important papers.