Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia
Encyclopedia
The Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia is the state diet
of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia
. It convenes in Düsseldorf
and currently consists of 181 members of five Parties. The current parties of government are a minority coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD)
and the Alliance '90/The Greens (Die Grünen)
, supporting the cabinet of minister-president Hannelore Kraft
.
Elections are conducted according to the same form of proportional representation
as in the federal system, but until 2010 only one vote was used for both calculations - candidate and party list. In 2010 they changed to the two-ballot model used in German federal elections.
Diet (assembly)
In politics, a diet is a formal deliberative assembly. The term is mainly used historically for the Imperial Diet, the general assembly of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire, and for the legislative bodies of certain countries.-Etymology:...
of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
. It convenes in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
and currently consists of 181 members of five Parties. The current parties of government are a minority coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD)
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
and the Alliance '90/The Greens (Die Grünen)
Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
, supporting the cabinet of minister-president Hannelore Kraft
Hannelore Kraft
Hannelore Kraft is a German politician. She is the leader of the Social Democratic Party in North Rhine-Westphalia and the current Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia. Kraft is the first woman to fill this post since it was created in 1946...
.
Current Composition
After the elections of May 9, 2010, the composition of the Landtag is as follows:| Party | Seats |
|---|---|
| Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Christian Democratic Union (Germany) The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum... |
67 |
| Social Democratic Party (SPD) Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
67 |
| Free Democratic Party (FDP) Free Democratic Party (Germany) The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government... |
12 |
| Alliance '90/The Greens (Die Grünen) Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir... |
23 |
| The Left (Die Linke) The Left (Germany) The Left , also commonly referred to as the Left Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The Left is the most left-wing party of the five represented in the Bundestag.... |
11 |
Elections are conducted according to the same form of proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
as in the federal system, but until 2010 only one vote was used for both calculations - candidate and party list. In 2010 they changed to the two-ballot model used in German federal elections.
Presidents of the Landtag
So far, the presidents of the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia have been:- 1946 Ernst Gnoß, SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
- 1946–1947 Robert Lehr, CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
- 1947–1958 Josef Gockeln, CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
- 1959–1966 Wilhelm Johnen, CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
- 1966 Josef Hermann Dufhues, CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
- 1966–1970 John van Nes Ziegler, SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
- 1970–1980 Wilhelm LenzWilhelm LenzWilhelm Lenz was a German physicist, most notable for his invention of the Ising model and for his application of the Laplace–Runge–Lenz vector to the quantum mechanical treatment of hydrogen-like atoms.In 1906, Lenz graduated from the Klinger-Oberralschule, a non-classical secondary school...
, CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum... - 1980–1985 John van Nes Ziegler, SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
- 1985–1990 Karl Josef Denzer, SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
- 1990–1995 Ingeborg Friebe, SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
- 1995–2005 Ulrich Schmidt, SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
- 2005–2010 Regina van Dinther, CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
- 2010 (acting) Edgar Moron, SPDSocial Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
- 2010 – Eckhard Uhlenberg, CDUChristian Democratic Union (Germany)The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
See also
- North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 1995North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 1995The North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 1995 was held on May 14, 1995 to elect 221 members of the Landtag of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The incumbent state government at that time was a SPD majority government led by Johannes Rau that tried to defend its majority after 15 years...
- North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 2000North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 2000The North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 2000, was conducted on May 14, 2000, to elect members to the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia.-Results:-Post-election:...
- North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 2005North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 2005The North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 2005, was conducted on May 22, 2005, to elect members to the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany...
- North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 2010North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 2010The North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 2010, was an election held on May 9, 2010, to elect members to the Landtag of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The incumbent government at the election was the Christian Democrat –FDP administration of Minister-President Jürgen Rüttgers...