The State Parliament of Bremen ( Bremische Bürgerschaft , lit. ' Bremish Citizenry ' or ' Citizenry of Bremen ' ) is the legislative branch of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen in Germany. The state parliament elects the members of the Senate (executive), exercises oversight of the executive, and passes legislation . It currently consists of 87 members from six parties. The current majority is a coalition of the Social Democratic Party , Alliance 90/The Greens and The Left , supporting Mayor and Senate president Andreas Bovenschulte . The 72 delegates of the city of Bremen also form the Stadtbürgerschaft (the local parliament of the city), while Bremerhaven has its own local parliament.
19-501: After the elections of 14 May 2023 , the composition of the Bürgerschaft is as follows: After the elections of 26 May 2019 , the composition of the Bürgerschaft is as follows: Composition (June 2018) After the elections of 10 May 2015 , the composition of the Bürgerschaft is as follows: Elections are conducted using proportional representation systems in both voting districts Bremen (68 seats) and Bremerhaven (15 seats), with
38-719: A minimum of 5% vote share per voting district to receive any seats. The 5% rule is used separately, thus allowing the German People's Union to join the Bürgerschaft by winning 5.7% of the votes in Bremerhaven while winning only 2.75% in the whole state of Bremen. The 68 members from Bremen also form the Stadtbürgerschaft (city council for the City of Bremen only), which is elected by an extended electorate:
57-595: A significant decline to 12%, while The Left repeated its 2019 performance of 11%. The right-wing Citizens in Rage (BiW) achieved their best-ever result with 9.4%, benefitting from the absence of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), who were disqualified from running due to internal party disputes. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) narrowly retained their seats with 5.1%. On 25 June, the incumbent governing coalition announced that they would renew their cooperation, forming
76-474: The Second Bovenschulte senate . According to Bremen state constitution, the Bürgerschaft has a term of four years, and elections must take place on a Sunday or public holiday during the last month of the previous term. Bremen is the only German state whose parliament sits for a four-year term; all others have terms of five years. The previous election took place on 26 May 2019, and the date for
95-465: The 2023 election was set for 14 May. The Bürgerschaft is elected via open party-list proportional representation in two multi-member constituencies corresponding to the two parts of the state: the city of Bremen and the city of Bremerhaven . A five percent electoral threshold is applied independently in both areas. 72 members are elected in Bremen and 15 in Bremerhaven, for a total of 87 seats in
114-586: The AfD and FDP won 6% each with slight losses. Citizens in Rage (BiW) retained its single seat in Bremerhaven. The previous governing coalition of the SPD and Greens lost its majority in the election. Despite the CDU achieving a plurality, the Bürgerschaft retained an overall left-wing majority of the SPD, Greens, and Left. The three parties subsequently formed a coalition government under new mayor Andreas Bovenschulte , marking
133-480: The Bürgerschaft. Seat distribution is calculated using the Sainte-Laguë method . Voters each have five votes which may be distributed between party lists and the candidates within them; voters may cast multiple votes for a single candidate or list ( panachage with cumulative voting ). In Bremen (but not Bremerhaven), the same ballot is also used to elect the city council, also consisting of 72 members elected from
152-499: The building is approximately that of the level of the eaves of both the Town Hall und the house Schütting . The folded roof was a compromise solution conceived as a means for converging and linking the building with the older buildings surrounding the historic market square. The facade of the parliament building reflects the old buildings in the mirror-like surface of the glass sheathing. Artificial reliefs made of aluminum highlight
171-476: The election, Mayor Bovenschulte held exploratory talks with the Greens followed by The Left. All three parties spoke positively of the discussions. The SPD and CDU met for talks on the 21st. On the 25th, the SPD state board unanimously voted to seek negotiations to renew the outgoing government. Coalition negotiations commenced on 30 May and finalised on 25 June, with the three parties presenting their agreement
190-570: The first Green Party to ever enter a German Landtag . So far, the presidents of the Landtag of Bremen have been: The House of the Parliament officially opened in September 1966. Bremen’s parliament building is called Haus der Bürgerschaft . The building has a frame construction of iron-reinforced concrete. The sheathing of glass has been hung in front of this construction. The height of
209-506: The first time The Left had entered government in a western state. The table below lists parties represented in the previous Bürgerschaft of Bremen. In March 2023, the state electoral committee disqualified the Alternative for Germany from running in the election due to the attempts of two different groups of party officials, both claiming to be the legitimate party executive, submitting competing lists. Besides parties represented in
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#1732772528209228-552: The minimum age for voting is 16 instead of 18 and all citizens of the European Union are allowed to vote. It is the only German state parliament with a 4-year, rather than 5-year term. These additional votes created a green Stadtbürgerschaft-only member and a SPD non-Stadtbürgerschaft member from Bremen(City) after the 2003 elections. In 1979, the Bremer Grüne Liste managed to join the Bürgerschaft , thus being
247-460: The outgoing Bürgerschaft, ten parties ran in the election: Of these, all except the ÖDP and Pirate Party ran lists in Bremen only. The ÖDP ran lists in both Bremen and Bremerhaven, while the Pirate Party ran only in Bremerhaven. Second Bovenschulte senate The second Bovenschulte senate is the current state government of Bremen , sworn in on 5 July 2023 after Andreas Bovenschulte
266-430: The same pool of parties and candidates. All German citizens aged 16 years or older who have lived in Bremen for at least three months are eligible to vote. Additionally, EU citizens residing in the city of Bremen and meeting the same requirements may vote, but their votes only count toward the Bremen city council election, not the state Bürgerschaft. Due to this, results for the Bremen city council may vary slightly from
285-537: The state election results. In the previous election held on 26 May 2019, the CDU became the largest party in the Bürgerschaft for the first time in post-war history, winning 26.7%. The SPD, which has governed the state continuously since the Second World War, was reduced to second place on 24.9%, a record low for the party and down eight percentage points from the 2015 election. The Greens and Left both improved modestly, taking 17% and 11% respectively, while
304-522: The two municipal entities comprising the state of Bremen , were held simultaneously. The incumbent government was a coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Alliance 90/The Greens , and The Left led by Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte . With 30% of the vote, the SPD emerged as the largest party on a modest swing. The opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) remained steady on 26% but fell to second place. The Greens suffered
323-435: The window sills. 53°04′30″N 8°48′29″E / 53.075°N 8.808°E / 53.075; 8.808 2023 Bremen state election First Bovenschulte senate SPD – Green – Left Second Bovenschulte senate SPD – Green – Left The 2023 Bremen state election was held on 14 May 2023 to elect the 21st Bürgerschaft of Bremen . Elections to the city councils of Bremen and Bremerhaven ,
342-416: Was a coalition government of the SPD, Greens, and Left led by Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte of the SPD. The election took place on 14 May 2023, and resulted in a swing to the SPD and a losses for the Greens. The Left remained steady. The opposition CDU lost its position as the largest party to the SPD. The FDP narrowly retained its seats with 5%, while BiW recorded their best result to date with 9%. After
361-501: Was elected as Mayor by the members of the Bürgerschaft of Bremen . It is the 26th Senate of Bremen . It was formed after the 2023 Bremen state election by the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Alliance 90/The Greens (GRÜNE), and The Left (LINKE). Excluding the Mayor, the senate comprises eight ministers, called Senators. Four are members of the SPD, two are members of the Greens, and two are members of The Left. The previous Senate
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