Lower Saxon Landtag
Encyclopedia
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 state
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
. It convenes in Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
and currently consists of 152 members of five Parties. The current majority is a coalition of the Christian Democratic Union
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...
and the 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...
, supporting the cabinet of Minister-President
Minister-President
A minister-president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments, in which a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government prevails, who presides over the council of ministers...
David McAllister
David McAllister
David Graeme McAllister AM is the Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet and a former Principal Dancer with the company.-Biography:...
(CDU).
The Landtag is situated in the Leineschloss
Leineschloss
The Leineschloss , situated on the Leine in Hanover, Germany, is the former residence of the Hanoverian kings and the current seat of the Landtag of Lower Saxony....
, a former residence of the kings of Hanover
Kingdom of Hanover
The Kingdom of Hanover was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg , and joined with 38 other sovereign states in the German...
. After its destruction in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was rebuilt from 1957 to 1962. Thus, from 1947 to 1962, the parliament of Lower Saxony convened in the Old town hall (Stadthalle Hanover).
Current composition
After the elections of January 27, 2008Lower Saxony state election, 2008
The 2008 Lower Saxony state election was held in Lower Saxony in north-western Germany on 27 January 2008. Despite losing votes and seats, the ruling Christian Democratic Union held on to its position as the leading party in the state...
, the composition of the Lower Saxony Landtag is as follows:
| Party | Seats | (Percent) |
|---|---|---|
| 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... |
68 | 42.5% |
| Social Democratic Party (SPD) Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
48 | 30.3% |
| 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... |
13 | 8.2% |
| 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... |
12 | 8.0% |
| 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 | 7.1% |
Elections are conducted using a proportional representation system, with a minimum of 5% vote share to receive any seats.
See Lower Saxony state election, 2008
Lower Saxony state election, 2008
The 2008 Lower Saxony state election was held in Lower Saxony in north-western Germany on 27 January 2008. Despite losing votes and seats, the ruling Christian Democratic Union held on to its position as the leading party in the state...
for full results.
Presidents of the Landtag
So far, the presidents of the Landtag of Lower Saxony have been:- 1946–1955 Karl Olfers, Social Democratic Party (SPD)Social Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
- 1955–1957 Werner Hofmeister, German Party (DP)German PartyThe German Party is a name used by a number of German political parties in the country's history. The current incarnation is represented only at the local level in Germany. However, from 1949 to 1961, a German Party was part of the ruling coalition in the Bundestag...
/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... - 1957–1959 Paul Oskar Schuster, German Party (DP)German PartyThe German Party is a name used by a number of German political parties in the country's history. The current incarnation is represented only at the local level in Germany. However, from 1949 to 1961, a German Party was part of the ruling coalition in the Bundestag...
/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... - 1959–1963 Karl Olfers, Social Democratic Party (SPD)Social Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
- 1963–1967 Richard Lehners, Social Democratic Party (SPD)Social Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
- 1967–1974 Wilhelm Baumgarten, Social Democratic Party (SPD)Social Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
- 1974–1982 Heinz Müller, 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...
- 1982–1985 Bruno Brandes, 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...
- 1985–1990 Edzard Blanke, 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...
- 1990–1998 Horst Milde, Social Democratic Party (SPD)Social Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
- 1998–2003 Rolf Wernstedt, Social Democratic Party (SPD)Social Democratic Party of GermanyThe Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
- 2003–2008 Jürgen Gansäuer, 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...
- since 2008 Hermann Dinkla, 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...
See also
- Lower Saxony state election, 1998Lower Saxony state election, 1998The Lower Saxony state election, 1998, was conducted on March 1, 1998, to elect members to the Landtag of Lower Saxony, Germany.-Results:-Post-election:...
- Lower Saxony state election, 2003Lower Saxony state election, 2003The 2003 Lower Saxony state election was held in Lower Saxony in north-western Germany on 2 February 2003. The incumbent Social Democratic Party was defeated by the opposition Christian Democratic Union.-Background:...
- Lower Saxony state election, 2008Lower Saxony state election, 2008The 2008 Lower Saxony state election was held in Lower Saxony in north-western Germany on 27 January 2008. Despite losing votes and seats, the ruling Christian Democratic Union held on to its position as the leading party in the state...