The Presidium of the Bundestag is responsible for the routine administration of the Bundestag, including its clerical and research activities. The presidium consists of the President of the Bundestag and a variable number of Vice Presidents, currently six.[1][2]
Composition
The presidium is elected by the Bundestag during its first meeting after an election; by tradition, the largest faction in the Bundestag has the right to nominate a candidate for the post of president. On the first two ballots, a nominee needs a majority of all Bundestag members (Chancellor majority) in order to be elected; on the third ballot a plurality (more yes- than no-votes) is sufficient. His or her term ends with the end of the legislature, but they can be re-elected, as long as he or she is re-elected as member of the Bundestag.[3]
Besides the president, the presidium also consists of a varying number of vice presidents, who are also elected during the first session of each legislative period. Since 1994, the Bundestag's standing rules state that the minimum number of vice presidents has to equal the number of factions and give every faction the right to nominate one vice president. Nevertheless, like the president, each vice president has to be elected by a majority of the whole house on the first two or a plurality on the third ballot; this can result (and already has) in the outcome that the actual number of sitting vice presidents does not equal the number of factions, if a faction does not succeed in naming a candidate, who is acceptable to at least the necessary majority. The Bundestag may decide to elect additional vice presidents. For example, in the 18th Bundestag (2013–2017), which only consisted of four factions, the two biggest factions (CDU/CSU and SPD) were each entitled to nominate a second vice president, as a presidium of only five persons was considered too small to fulfill its tasks.
Erich Köhler resigned as President of the Bundestag on 18 October 1950 in the wake of cross-party criticism of his conduct of office. Hermann Ehlers was elected as his successor on 19 October.
CSU SPD SPD AfD FDP The Left Alliance 90/The Greens
The SPD's Vice President Thomas Oppermann died on 25 October 2020, Dagmar Ziegler was elected to the vacant post.
The AfD was represented in the 19th Bundestag with faction status and had the right to nominate a vice president. However, in 18 election rounds during the entire legislative period, none of the six proposed candidates achieved the necessary majority.
SPD CDU Alliance 90/The Greens Alliance 90/The Greens FDP AfD The Left
Claudia Roth resigned her post as vice president on 8 December 2021 upon entering office as State Minister and Federal Commissioner for Culture and the Media. Katrin Göring-Eckardt, who already had served as vice president in the 16th and 17th Bundestag, was elected to the post one day later, on 9 December 2021.
The AfD is represented in the 20th Bundestag with faction status and has the right to nominate a vice president. However, as of summer 2024, none of the 30+ proposed candidates has achieved the necessary majority.
