A popular initiative (also citizens' initiative ) is a form of direct democracy by which a petition meeting certain hurdles can force a legal procedure on a proposition.
81-585: Potsdam II is an electoral constituency (German: Wahlkreis) represented in the Landtag of Brandenburg . It elects one member via first-past-the-post voting. Under the constituency numbering system, it is designated as constituency 22. It is located in within the city of Potsdam . The constituency includes the districts of Potsdam-Süd , Stern/Drewitz/Kirchsteigfeld and Südliche Innenstadt/Zentrum Ost. There were 52,482 eligible voters in 2024. Landtag of Brandenburg Opposition (44) The Landtag of Brandenburg
162-501: A 2/3 majority to pass. Proposals changing the text of the constitution and the budget are discussed in three readings. A third reading is also held if a parliamentary group or at least 1/5 of MPs request it. For laws to come into force they need to be signed by the president of the Landtag and published in the Gesetz- und Verordnungsblatt für das Land Brandenburg ( 'law and decree gazette for
243-513: A citizens' legislative initiative for tougher blasphemy laws in Poland with close to 400,000 (Higher than the 100,000 needed) signatures to parliament. According to Article 74 of the Romanian Constitution, groups of at least 100,000 Romanian Citizens with suffrage that reside in at least one quarter of all the counties and with a minimum 5,000 signatures per county have the right to send
324-489: A Citizens' Initiative which must be considered by the legislative body (Initiatives that address fiscal or international matters are not covered by this right). If the initiative concerns changing the Constitution, Article 150 of the Constitution states that the group must include at least 500,000 Romanian Citizens with suffrage who reside in at least half of all the counties, with a minimum of 20,000 per county. Article 151 of
405-575: A Constitution for Europe (TCE) included a limited indirect initiative right (Article I-46(4)). The proposal of introducing the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) was that 1,000,000 citizens, from minimal numbers of different member states, could invite the executive body of the European Union (EU), the European Commission , to consider any proposal "on matters where citizens consider that
486-407: A Sunday or public holiday between 57 and 60 months after the start of the first legislative period after the previous election. The most recent election was held on 22 September 2024 and the next elections will likely be held in 2029. The legislature may be dissolved sooner by a two thirds majority vote, if this happens new elections must be held within 70 days. One of the functions of the Landtag
567-469: A committee. Any petition which reaches 10,000 signatures triggers a response from the government and those which reach 100,000 signatures will almost always require the government to consider holding a debate (with some exceptions, such as whether a similar issue has been debated recently, or a debate for that issue is scheduled) on the matter in the House of Commons. Only British Citizens or individuals resident in
648-621: A human right" (against Water privatization ), "30 km/h - making the streets liveable!" ( Traffic calming in towns), " Unconditional Basic Income " (UBI - Exploring a pathway towards emancipatory welfare conditions), or to "End Ecocide in Europe" (to give the Earth Rights). It remains to be seen if the ECI evolves into a full initiative or remains in its present state of a de facto petition. Since 1 March 2012, Finnish citizens with suffrage have had
729-499: A legal act of the Union is required for the purpose of implementing the Constitution." The precise mechanism had not been agreed upon. Critics underlined the weakness of this right of initiative, which did not ultimately entail any vote or referendum. A similar scheme under the same name, European Citizens' Initiative (ECI), has been put forward in the now ratified European Lisbon Treaty (which entered into force on 1 December 2009), enabling
810-635: A limited indirect initiative right. It follows very similar rules to the ones outlined in the European Constitution, requiring the signatures of 1,000 000 European Nationals. These citizens would thereby obtain the same right to request the Commission to submit a legislative proposal as the Council has had since the establishment of the European Communities in 1957. This, however, does require that
891-405: A popular vote (referendum) rests with the local assembly. A citizens' initiative referendum was proposed by the yellow vests movement . Citizens are able to submit a law project to the parliament through the "Référendum d'Initiative Partagée"; they can ask for a referendum if they meet the 185 deputies requirement and the signatures of at least 10% of the voting population. All German states have
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#1733093426716972-629: A website maintained by the Finnish Ministry of Justice, where they may be electronically signed; signatures are also collected on paper. If an initiative is able to attract the signatures of a total of 50,000 citizens within six months, it is forwarded to the Finnish Parliament for consideration; otherwise, it will lapse. The Parliament treats citizens' initiatives according to normal parliamentary procedure, that is, they are debated and considered in committees and they may also be amended or altered;
1053-549: Is also known by its campaign slogan, #Tahdon2013 (#IDo2013). This initiative was accepted by the Parliament during the 2011-2015 parliamentary session, though political debate, decision-making and drafting of the new law continued on to the next parliamentary session. The new law took effect on 1 March 2017 . To date, a total of 24 citizens' initiatives have reached the 50,000 mark, with 20 of them having been either rejected or accepted in Parliament - so far, only two have been accepted:
1134-517: Is also used at the cantonal and communal level in Switzerland (all cantons , all communes where the direct democratic citizens' participation originates); many cantons allow initiatives to enact regular non-constitutional law, but the federal system does not. If the necessary number of supporters is reached, the initiative will be put to a plebiscite about two or three years later; the delay helps prevent short-term political moods from getting into
1215-480: Is enshrined in the 1987 Philippine Constitution under Article XVII Section 2, which states: Amendments to this Constitution may likewise be directly proposed by the people through initiative upon a petition of at least twelve per centum of the total number of registered voters, of which every legislative district must be represented by at least three per centum of the registered voters therein. No amendment under this section shall be authorized within five years following
1296-494: Is the unicameral legislature of the state of Brandenburg in Germany . Its 88 members of parliament are usually elected every 5 years. It is responsible for deciding on state laws, controlling the state government and public administration , deciding on the budget and electing its presidium , state constitutional judges, the members of the state court of audit and the minister president . On 22 September 2024 , elections to
1377-486: Is then obligated to treat this initiative just like it would one originating from the state government or its own members. If it fails to do this within two months a referendum is called. Before being voted on, new legislation is subject to two readings . In the first reading a broad strokes debate regarding the proposal is held. Then it is transferred to one or more parliamentary committees . If multiple committees are involved, one of them largely holds responsibility. In
1458-434: Is to pass state laws. Legislation can be proposed by the state government , MPs , the president of the Landtag, the presidium of the Landtag, parliamentary committees and their parliamentary groups, though it is usually the government that proposes new legislation. Proposed legislation can also be submitted through a popular initiative , assuming it is signed by at least 80,000 voting age Brandenburgian citizens. The Landtag
1539-563: The Berlin Schönefeld Airport , the Landesentwicklungsgesellschaft (LEG) and Chipfabrik Frankfurt (Oder) respectively. The committee of inquiry 4/1 created by a resolution on 27 February 2008 investigated the land reform affaire uncovered in late 2007. On 26 April 2016 the Landtag installed a committee of inquiry (6/1) about the "organized far-right extremist violence and administrative action, especially regarding
1620-536: The Constitutional Convention considered Dáil electoral reform, members voted 83:16 in favour of allowing "citizens' initiatives" in general, 80:19 to allow them specifically for legislation, and 78:17 to allow them for constitutional amendments . In April 2015, the Fine Gael–Labour government rejected the recommendations on the basis that there is sufficient public involvement in legislation through
1701-640: The District of Columbia , and is also in common use at the local government level. Article I, Section I of the United States Constitution vests "all legislative powers herein granted" to the Congress of the United States . Establishing a national initiative procedure would likely require an amendment to the Constitution , which would under Article V require two-thirds of both houses of Congress or
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#17330934267161782-554: The House of Representatives by Louis Ludlow of Indiana between 1935 and 1940, proposed an amendment to the Constitution that would require a national referendum to declare war except in the case of invasion or attack. The amendment came closest to overcoming a discharge petition on January 10, 1938, when it was defeated in the House by a vote of 209 to 188, short of the two-thirds vote required for its passage. Unsuccessful attempts to get initiatives have nevertheless occurred, but since
1863-597: The National Socialist Underground (NSU)". In matters regarding constitutional protection the state government is subject to the control of the parliamentary control commission (PKK) which consists of at most 5 representatives. The opposition must be fairly represented on the commission. The state government must inform the PKK of the general activities of the office for constitutional protection, affaires of special importance along with isolated incidents. Additionally
1944-588: The Oath of Allegiance . By May 1928 Fianna Fáil claimed 96,000 signatures and attempted to have the petition laid before the Dáil (lower house). The motion was deferred, ostensibly to allow the Dáil procedure committee to define the method of dealing with such petitions. Before the committee could meet, the Cumann na nGaedheal government rushed through an amendment deleting Article 48 of
2025-515: The Soviet Occupation Zone . The composition of the 2nd Landtag was determined before the 1950 election. This Landtag only continued to exist until 1952. It has existed in its current form since the recreation of the state of Brandenburg following reunification. Since the 1990 election the SPD has remained the largest party and participated in all state governments since and all minister presidents of
2106-463: The executive or legislature to consider the subject by submitting it to the order of the day. In contrast, a popular referendum that allows voters only to repeal existing legislation. The hurdles the petition has to meet vary between countries, typically a certain number of signatures by registered voters , to prevent a flood of frivolous measures on the ballot. It's been argued that a signature hurdle does not always determine popular support since
2187-479: The federal government , other German and sovereign states and the European Union . The Landtag has the right to install a committee of inquiry to elucidate matters of public interest. The Landtag must be informed of the results of the investigation in form of a final report. Additionally every member of the committee has the right to append the report with a dissenting opinion. In the third legislative period three committees of inquiry were established dealing with
2268-412: The 24 June 1999 law, citizens wishing to launch an initiative must create a committee of at least 15 members, which becomes a legal person . The committee must prepare the draft bill and collect at least 100,000 signatures (Article 2). Under Article 12 of the law, if there is "justified doubt regarding the authenticity of the required number of signatures of citizens, then within 14 days of the lodging of
2349-506: The 7th Landtag were held. Six political parties managed to gain representation. The Social Democratic Party (SPD) solidified its position as the largest party in the Landtag with 32 seats, followed by Alternative for Germany (AfD) making gains with 30 seats, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) with 14 seats, and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) with 12 seats. Elections to the 1st Landtag of Brandenburg were held in 1946 in
2430-506: The Constitution also states that any amendments brought to it, must be also approved by means of a National Referendum. The federal popular initiative was included in the Swiss Federal Constitution in 1891, permitting a certain number of citizens (currently 100,000 signatures within 18 months ) to make a request to amend a constitutional article, or even to introduce a new article into the constitution. The right of initiative
2511-505: The Constitution. Citizens' legislative initiatives are a constitutional right in Poland, defined in Article 118, paragraph 2, of the 1997 Polish Constitution . The paragraph gives legislative initiative to any group of at least 100,000 citizens with voting rights to the Sejm , the lower house of Polish parliament. The detailed procedure is defined in a law dated 24 June 1999. Under Article 5 of
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2592-544: The Elections BC website. In the United States , a popular vote on a measure is referred to as a referendum only when aiming at allowing or repealing an act passed by a state legislature. An initiative may be called a " ballot measure ", "initiative measure", or "proposition". The United States has no initiative process at the national level, but the initiative is in use at the level of state government in 24 states and
2673-594: The Jagt Resolutions never got out of committee. Senator Mike Gravel was part of that effort. The modern system of initiatives and referendums in the United States originated in the state of South Dakota , which adopted initiatives and referendums in 1898 by a popular vote of 23,816 to 16,483. Oregon was the second state to adopt and did so in 1902, when the Oregon Legislative Assembly adopted it by an overwhelming majority. The "Oregon System", as it
2754-455: The Landtag is the election of the minister president of the state of Brandenburg. In the lead-up to the inaugural meeting a potential governing coalition is usually agreed upon that can elect its candidate without a debate and on a secret ballot. Every representative has the right to propose a candidate. It is also possible for a person to be proposed who is not a member of the Landtag. If the proposed candidate does not get an absolute majority in
2835-468: The Landtag since September 2019. The vice-presidents are Andreas Galau (AfD) and Barbara Richstein (CDU). The remaining members of the presidium are elected in the constituting session like the president and vice-presidents. Each parliamentary group represented in the Landtag has the right to at least one member on the presidium. The presidium supports the president in the exercise of their duties, facilitates agreements between parliamentary groups and decides
2916-415: The Landtag the president exercises the domiciliary right and command over the police. Additionally the president approves topics of discussion in accordance with the rules of procedure, controls the printing and distribution of documents and accepts inquiries and proposals with have to be submitted to the president of the Landtag. In the legislative process a law only comes into force when it has been signed by
2997-422: The Landtag to control the state government and public administration . One of them is the right of MPs to speak and ask questions. Every representative has the right to speak and submit enquiries and law proposals in order to receive information on states of affaires the state government is responsible for handling. According to the state constitution the government is obligated to respond to enquiries immediately to
3078-483: The Landtag use a hybrid system whereby the 44 electoral districts return one member each in first-past-the-post votes, and 44 seats are elected by party-list proportional representation . Every German citizen who has been habitually resident in Brandenburg for at least one month prior to the election is entitled to vote. Each elector has two votes, one for the individual representative of their electoral district and
3159-493: The PKK also has various information rights so it can get the information required for it to fulfill its control functions. The G10-commission named after article 10 of the basic law is the final control institution. The G10-commission is tasked with checking the restrictions of the liberal democratic basic order ordered by the interior ministry. The interior ministry is required to inform the commission of such restrictions e.g. telephone tapping . Another important function of
3240-479: The Parliament is not restricted to passing or rejecting them as they are. The first initiative to pass the 50,000 mark did so already a few months after the "kansalaisaloite" first became possible. The initiative demanded the ending of fur industry in Finland, but failed to pass in Parliament. The first initiative to be accepted by the Parliament was the citizens' initiative known in Finland as "Equal Marriages Law", which
3321-445: The UK are allowed to start a petition or be a signatory. Petitions can be initiated via a specialist website, which also contains guidance on when petitions will, and will not, be debated. On occasion, some petitions which are signed by fewer than 100,000 people are still debated. Examples of issues which have been debated in parliament via this system are various issues surrounding Brexit and
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3402-553: The aforementioned "Equal Marriages Law" and the "Motherhood Law" from 2015/16 . A limited, indirect form of local initiative was added to the French Constitution (article 72-1, référendum d'initiative locale ) on 28 March 2003 as part of decentralization reforms. However, the only power these "local referendum initiatives" confer on citizens is the ability to add propositions to their local assembly's meeting agenda. The decision as to whether to submit citizen propositions to
3483-412: The application of two-thirds of the state legislatures to propose, and three-fourths of all state legislatures (or conventions in three-fourths of the states ) to ratify. The Constitution itself, pursuant to Article VII , was ratified by state conventions rather than by a referendum. Several proposals have been made to institute a national referendum. The Ludlow Amendment , introduced several times to
3564-443: The best of its knowledge and must give a complete answer which means that compared to the basic law and the other German states' constitutions information rights are stronger here. According to parliamentary procedure the right to answer questions includes major, minor, spoken and urgent enquiries. Major enquiries usually concern statewide problems or technical matters of superregional and particular political importance usually with
3645-464: The broadcasting council of the RBB . The president of the Landtag presides over and represents the Landtag. He is the highest representative of the state of Brandenburg and thus is the one who receives both foreign and national state guests. The Landtag elects the president of the Landtag from among its members during its first session. The largest parliamentary group has the right of proposal (article 69 §1 of
3726-429: The cabinet. The minister president forms a cabinet by handing the future ministers their certificate of appointment. They likewise swear an oath. During the allocation of portfolios, the setting of political focus of the respective partners plays a crucial role, because certain policy areas are associated with certain parties, leading to them desiring responsibility for the respective portfolios. The head of government (i.e.
3807-463: The committees the proposal is reworked and a recommendation given. It is then subject to a second reading, where the proposal is discussed in detail and at the end of which the proposal is voted on. Until the second reading is complete, amendments can be proposed by parliamentary groups or individual members and are voted on be for the proposal is. Proposals are passed with a majority of the members present and voting. Constitutional amendments require
3888-428: The constitution. The parliament and government will both issue their official opinions on whether they recommend voting for or against the proposed amendment, and these opinions will be published. The parliament may also pass an alternative amendment suggestion which will also be included on the ballot; in this case, the voters cast two votes, one for whether or not they want an amendment, and one for which one they want,
3969-591: The constitutional right to send a citizens' initiative (Finnish: kansalaisaloite , Swedish: medborgarinitiativ ) to the Parliament of Finland . An initiative must begin with at least five citizens as sponsors, and it must consist either of a direct proposal for a new law or of a motion to initiate the drafting of a new law by the relevant government department, as well as present reasons for doing so. A single initiative may not contain proposals on more than one specific legislative issue. Proposed initiatives are published on
4050-420: The control of the activities of the government and the public administration . This control is implemented through checks, complaints and toleration of state action both after the fact and by formulating recommendations before the fact. Conflicts commonly occur between the government and the parliamentary groups supporting or opposing the government instead of the Landtag as a whole. There are various ways for
4131-598: The federal district). If both conditions are met, Congress is obliged to discuss and vote on holding the initiative. The Canadian province of British Columbia has a citizen initiative law known as the Recall and Initiative Act. The original proposal was put to voters in a referendum held in October 1991 and was supported by over 83% of voters. It was subsequently put into force by the incoming NDP government. Since it came into force in 1995, at least 14 attempts have been made to force
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#17330934267164212-433: The first round, a second vote is held. If they once again don't receive an absolute majority, a third round is held where a simple majority of representatives is enough. If a minister president is not elected within the three weeks after the inaugural meeting, the Landtag is automatically dissolved and reelections are held. After the minister president has sworn their oath, they take control of government affairs and appoint
4293-583: The government to either adopt a law or to hold a referendum on the question, but only one has succeeded. Only one secured the required signatures of 10% of registered voters in each riding throughout British Columbia. Due to this achievement the government held the first referendum under this legislation, in September 2011 on the subject of repealing the Harmonized Sales Tax . Details of its use in BC are available on
4374-403: The initiatives have proven to be a useful tool to force the government to concentrate on subjects that will otherwise remain hidden from the politic, lowering the distance between the government and the citizens. While there is no mandate for a referendum following directly from such an initiative, the UK government has a system whereby citizens can set up online petitions, which are considered by
4455-412: The legislature for support first. An indirect initiative is voted on by a legislature after sufficient signatures are collected from the voting population. In most areas the measure is submitted to a subsequent popular vote only if amended by the legislature. An agenda setting initiative is a measure submitted by petition to a legislature for consideration. The legislature may choose to approve or reject
4536-679: The list of signatures, the Marshal of the Sejm must request the National Electoral Commission to verify the signatures. The electoral commission has 21 days to carry out the verification. One of the best known citizens' initiatives in Poland is the pair of 2015/2016 anti-abortion and pro-abortion initiatives which were accompanied by the Black Protest marches coordinated by women's rights groups. In October 2022, United Poland submitted
4617-472: The members of the state constitutional court, the 'state commissioner for data protection and the right of access to documents' along with the members of the G10-commission, the parliamentary control commission, the council for sorbian matters, the electoral committee for the election of judges ( Richterwahlausschuss ) in addition to the representatives of the Landtag in the state youth welfare committee and
4698-411: The minister president) sets the guidelines and answers to the Landtag regarding these guidelines. Within the confines set by the minister president, the ministers lead their ministries independently. In general, the minister president's term ends with the start of the new Landtag though it can also be cut short by a vote of no confidence . The Landtag also elects the members of the state court of audit,
4779-441: The original one from the initiative or the one introduced in parliament, in case a majority decides for amending. A citizen-proposed change to the constitution in Switzerland at the national level needs to achieve both a majority of the national popular vote and a majority of the canton-wide vote to pass. The vast majority of national initiatives introduced since 1891, when the system started, have failed to receive voter support. But
4860-456: The other for a party list. The proportionally allocated seats are distributed proportionally based on votes across the state to all parties or political unions on the list that received at least 5% of the vote in a constituency or who have won one or more directly elected seats. Candidates are required to be over 18 years old, be a citizen of Germany and have lived in the state of Brandenburg for 3 months. Elections are held every five years, on
4941-560: The petitions committee and the pre-legislative scrutiny process. Article 48 of the 1922 Constitution of the Irish Free State gave a right of initiative: if more than 50,000 voters demanded a change in law, the Oireachtas had two years to enact it, failing which 75,000 voters could petition for a referendum . The only attempt to invoke this was organised in 1927 by Fianna Fáil , the largest opposition party, which sought to abolish
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#17330934267165022-422: The president. If the president of the Landtag is not present, their duties are performed by the vice-presidents. If they are also not present, the president of the Landtag is represented by a member of the presidium belonging to the largest parliamentary group. In the fifth legislative period Gunter Frisch (SPD) held the office, which he had also held during the fourth legislative period. The office of vice-president
5103-481: The proposal without a public vote. This form or initiative is more common than a legally binding direct or indirect initiative. In Brazil, a popular law initiative requires two conditions be met before it is sent to the National Congress: signatures from at least 1% of national registered voters and at least 0.3% of the people allowed to vote from each of at least five of the 27 federal unities (the 26 states plus
5184-493: The proposals were bills, not constitutional amendments, no initiative could probably have lawfully been voted on notwithstanding the bills' passage. The first attempt to get national ballot initiatives occurred in 1907 when House Joint Resolution 44 was introduced by Rep. Elmer Fulton of Oklahoma ; the proposal was never put to a vote. In 1977, both the Abourezk-Hatfield National Voter Initiative and
5265-496: The proposition is put directly to a plebiscite or referendum , also called a popular initiated referendum or citizen-initiated referendum . In an indirect initiative , the proposed measure is first referred to the legislature, and then if the proposed law is rejected by the legislature, the government may be forced to put the proposition to a referendum. The proposition may be on federal level law, statute , constitutional amendment , charter amendment, local ordinance , obligate
5346-437: The purpose of general political control of the government. Such an enquiry can be initiated by a parliamentary group or at least 1/5 of MPs. A written response must be given within three months. Minor enquiries usually concern specific events or specific policies by the government or public administration. They can be initiated by any MP in written form and must be responded to within four weeks. Spoken and urgent enquiries have
5427-422: The purpose that representatives can demand statements by the government on specific issues in plenary meetings i.e. in the presence of the general public. Spoken enquiries can be initiated by any MP. Urgent enquiries can be initiated with after a shorter than usual waiting period and have the purpose of elucidating politically contentious issues. They must be approved by the president of the Landtag in accordance with
5508-422: The ratification of this Constitution nor oftener than once every five years thereafter. This provision is further protected by Republic Act 6735 or The Initiative and Referendum Act. The law defines initiative as: The law also provides indirect initiative defining the exercise of people's initiative through a proposition sent to congress or local legislative body for action. The rejected Treaty establishing
5589-497: The right to petition , particularly since a petition is directed to Parliament while a citizens' initiative is directed to the Commission; whereas a petition is a method of remonstrance, usually focussing on perceived infringements of European Law, an initiative is a grassroots proposal for new legislation. In 2013 the subjects of ongoing open initiatives of the European Citizens' Initiative are e.g. about "water and sanitation as
5670-524: The right to initiative. However, there is no constitutional citizens' initiative in Germany at a federal level. The Constitution of Ireland , since its 1937 enactment , has never made provision for initiatives. Since 2012, the Oireachtas (parliament) has a joint committee to which the public can submit petitions ; the committee must formally consider them but need not accept them. In May–June 2013, when
5751-455: The schedule and agenda of plenary meetings. The members of the presidium can, like the president, be removed by a 2/3 majority. The results of the 2024 Landtag elections were as follows: The SPD secured a victory, increasing both its popular vote percentage and the amount of seats held. Nonetheless, the two largest populist parties – the left-wing BSW and the far-right AfD – earned significant results, combining for precisely half of all
5832-779: The seats in the legislature. The Greens, the Left and the BVB/Free Voters faced a complete defeat, losing all of their seats. Finally, the FDP fell to less than 1% of the vote. Overall, the outgoing coalition between the SPD, the CDU and the Greens earned 47.1% of the vote in a decline compared to their combined total of 52.6% of the vote in the 2019 election. 52°23′16″N 13°03′48″E / 52.38778°N 13.06333°E / 52.38778; 13.06333 Popular initiative In direct initiative ,
5913-404: The signature hurdle can be achieved through hiring a professional company to gather signatures. Instead of a signature hurdle a state-sponsored public opinion poll as hurdle has been proposed. The success of a popular initiative depends on the exact wording. A direct initiative places an initiative measure directly on the ballot for voters to pass or reject. The measure is not submitted to
5994-503: The signatures come from a "significant number" of Member States. It is suggested that this significant number will need to be around a quarter of member states, with at least 1/500 of the citizens in those member states supporting the initiative. With the variety of languages within the European Union, this creates a significant hurdle for people to navigate. The treaty also makes it clear that right of initiative should not be confused with
6075-411: The state constitution of Brandenburg). However the president is supposed to be neutral in the exercise of their duties including towards their own party group. The president can be removed with a 2/3 majority. The president calls the meetings of both the Landtag and the presidium both of which they open, preside over and end. Meetings can also be called if 1/5 of members or the government requests it. In
6156-405: The state of Brandenburg' ). Article 101 §3 of the state's constitution grants the Landtag of Brandenburg budgeting powers. According to constitution the budget can be set for one of more years. The budget is prepared by the state government setting the priorities for the next year (or years). The members of the Landtag function have a control function which has the character of a "general review of
6237-539: The state to this day have been from the SPD. The office has been held by Dietmar Woidke since 28 August 2013. The Landtag of Brandenburg was established in 1946 and abolished in 1952. It was re-established in 1990. The seat of the Parliament is the reconstructed Potsdam City Palace since early 2014. Its former seat was the Military School building on the Brauhausberg, Potsdam , which dates from 1902. Elections to
6318-484: The vice-presidents. The state constitution requires the state government to inform the Landtag and parliamentary committees early and completely of the preparation of laws regarding specific issues. This includes laws and decrees regarding fundamental questions of regional and location planning and the implementation of major projects. This duty also extends to participation of the state in the Bundesrat and cooperation with
6399-428: The work of the state government". They are tasked with checking, changing and approving the proposed budget. Every year the minister of finance reports to the Landtag the usage of funds along with state assets and debt. The entire budgetary and economic management of the state and its special assets and businesses are checked by the state court of audit. Additionally the Landtag is tasked with parliamentary control, i.e.
6480-458: Was at first known, subsequently spread to many other states, and became one of the signature reforms of the Progressive Era (1890s–1920s). Almost every state currently in the union utilizes some sort of State Question or Initiative. A contemporary issue that is commonly decided through this method is the legalization of marijuana . People's initiative to propose amendments to the constitution
6561-481: Was held by Gerrit Große during the fifth legislative period from December 2009 onwards after Gerlinde Strobawa (They were both members of The Left ) had resigned in November 2009. In the sixth legislative period the office of president of the landtag was held by Britta Stark (SPD) and the office of vice-president by Dieter Dombrowski (CDU). In the current seventh legislative period Ulrieke Liedtke (SPD) has been president of
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