Landtag of Lower Saxony

The Lower Saxon Landtag (Niedersächsischer Landtag) or the Parliament of Lower Saxony is the state diet of the German state of Lower Saxony. It convenes in Hanover and currently consists of 137 members consisting of five parties. Since 2017 the majority has been a coalition of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union, supporting the cabinet of Minister-President Stephan Weil (SPD).[1]

Landtag of Lower Saxony

Niedersächsischer Landtag
Type
Type
Established1947
Leadership
President of the Landtag
Structure
Seats137
Political groups
Government (105)
  •   SPD (54)
  •   CDU (50)

Opposition (32)

Elections
Last election
15 October 2017
Meeting place
Leineschloss, Hanover
Website

Landtag building
Leineschloss

The Landtag is situated in the Leineschloss, a former residence of the kings of Hanover. After its destruction in World War II 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 20, 2013, the composition of the Lower Saxony Landtag is as follows:

Party Seats (Percent)
Christian Democratic Union (CDU)5436.0%
Social Democratic Party (SPD)4932.6%
Alliance '90/The Greens (Die Grünen)2013.7%
Free Democratic Party (FDP)149.9%

Elections are conducted using a proportional representation system, with a minimum of 5% vote share to receive any seats in the Landtag.

Currently, the Social Democratic Party and the Greens have a Government even though they do not have a majority of seats. This is due to Elke Twesten switching party allegiance from the Greens to the CDU on August 7, 2017, leaving the government with 68 seats and the opposition with 69 seats. Because of this, Stephan Weil, the SPD prime minister of the state, called for parliament to be dissolved and new elections to be held three months earlier than previously scheduled.[2]

Presidents of the Landtag

So far, the presidents of the Landtag of Lower Saxony have been:

See also

References
  1. Bundesrat. Lower Saxony Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
  2. https://www.ft.com/content/6cf9d638-7905-11e7-90c0-90a9d1bc9691
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