People's Chamber

The People's Chamber was October 7, 1949 to October 2, 1990, the Parliament and formally highest constitutional body of the German Democratic Republic (GDR).

Development and function

The Provisional People's Chamber was formed on 7 October 1949 in East Berlin from the Second German People's Council. The first parliamentary elections took place, and later for another electoral system than originally planned, on 15 October 1950. Elections in 1950 were based as all elections since the GDR on unit lists of the National Front. The elections were held in many places no longer secret instead: voting booths were in place, but its use was seen as a sign of opposition to the system. According to official figures, the turnout had amounted to 98% and 99.7 % voted for the National Front. From files of the Ministry of State Security was proven after the end of the GDR that extensive election fraud had been made. Rigged elections were the rule also in subsequent elections to the People's Chamber. The deputies were bound in their voting behavior to the political requirements of the SED. Until 1958, there was next to the People's Chamber of the countries of the GDR, bring the bills to the People's Chamber and could raise precedent opposition to laws passed.

The People's Chamber elected in 1949 Wilhelm Pieck ( 1876-1960 ), President of the GDR. After his death in 1960, the function of the President was replaced by the State Council of the GDR or its chairman, elected by the People's Chamber.

After understanding the Soviet occupation and the SED, the People's Chamber was no parliament in the bourgeois sense of a representative democracy, but should be a representation of the people of a new type. You should restore the postulated claims under the not given in bourgeois parliamentarism unity between political leadership and population and exclude selfishness party partisanship for capital, personal enrichment addiction and self- blockade by separation of powers.

The only vote of the People's Chamber, were publicly known in the conflict was, in March 1972 agreed the vote on the law on termination of pregnancy to introduce the deadline solution provides abortions in the 14 deputies of the CDU in consultation with their party leadership against the law. These votes against and abstentions some remained without effect on the legislative process for the period solution increased on the other side but the legitimacy of the People's Chamber, there was in this case in the public impression of a real, contending the Board.

In fact, the People's Chamber was largely without influence on the political process because of the since 1968 the Constitution of the German Democratic Republic officially enshrined leadership of the SED prevented from the start a real political influence of Parliament.

Working methods and composition

The People's Chamber was held usually two to four times a year. It sat as 1950-1976 in the Langenbeck - Virchow-Haus. As of 1976 found their rare meetings were held in the small hall of the newly built Palace of the Republic. They had the following committees:

  • Committee on General Affairs (1950-1963)
  • Committee on Local People's Representatives (1956-1963)
  • Committee for Economic and Financial Affairs (1950-1963)
  • Committee on Foreign Affairs (1950-1990)
  • Committee on Work and Health (1950-1958)
  • Committee on Health (1958-1990)
  • Committee on Labour and Social Policy (1958-1990)
  • Committee on Trade and Supply (1963-1990)
  • Petitions Committee or Committee on the inputs of citizens (1950-1990)
  • Rules of Procedure Committee (1950-1990)
  • Parole Board (1950-1963), task subsequently taken over by the State Council of the GDR
  • Budget and Finance Committee (1950-1990)
  • Credentials Committee (1963-1990)
  • Youth Committee (1950-1990)
  • Judiciary Committee (1950-1963)
  • Committee on National Defence (1963-1990)
  • Committee for industry, construction and transport ( to 1990 )
  • Committee on Agriculture and Forestry (1950-1990)
  • Committee for Public Education and Culture (1954-1958)
  • Committee on Culture (1958-1990)
  • Committee on Public Education (1958-1990)
  • Rights Committee (1950-1963)
  • Elections Committee (1950-1963)
  • Constitutional Committee and Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee (1950-1990)

The People's Chamber was to 1963 400 seats, followed by 500 Until the 5th term ( 1967-1971 ) were among 66 Berlin representative of the People's Chamber in an advisory capacity, then these were normal deputies. Since the end of 1958 participated in the meetings and participate in committee work 100, later 200 successor candidates part. They had no right to vote in the polls, were the regular members but otherwise largely assimilated.

The following fractions were 1950 to April 1990 represented in the People's Chamber: SED Group, CDU faction, LDPD Group, NDPD Group, DBD Group, fdgb Group, FDJ Group, DFD Group, Cultural Alliance Group, VdgB / consumer cooperatives fraction ( only from 1950 to 1963 and from 1986) and VVN Group ( 1950-1954 ).

The proportion of women among the deputies was 23.0 percent in 1950 ( with Berlin's representatives ), 1986 32.2 percent. The majority of the SED in the People's Association since 1950, secured by the fractions of the mass organizations ( fdgb, DFD, FDJ, KB ), the Group's members, as a rule members of the SED were at the same time.

Prominent MPs were next to all major SED party officials and the chairman of the other parties, among other prominent athletes such as Heike Drechsler or Täve Schur and worker activists and veterans of the socialist movement and the DDR structure as Rosa Thalmann, Kurt Krjeńc, Käthe core and Wilhelmine Schirmer Pröscher.

Election dates and official results

President of the People's Chamber

The freely elected People's Chamber 1990

After the 1989 civil protests triggered by political change in the GDR was held the only free parliamentary elections on 18 March 1990. The power of Parliament now met for the first time that the bourgeois parliaments democracies. The People's Chamber created with the Länder Act, the new federal states that were part of the Federal Republic with its foundation. The GDR was thus abolished. At the same time, the People's Chamber initiated a " minimum equipment laws " for the new countries that possessed it immediately with its founding over state law. While was the Unification Treaty, which regulated, inter alia, that federal laws should in the acceding territory or only apply modified, negotiated by governments, but had the government parties in the run-up to a plethora of conditions formulated (eg: inventory of land reform ), which in the contract were incorporated.

At the inaugural meeting on April 5, the Presidium of the People's Chamber was entrusted with the powers of the State Council no longer occupied by the insertion of Article 75a of the Constitution of the GDR. The elected on the same day President of the People's Chamber, Sabine Bergmann -Pohl (CDU ), was given the powers of the Council of State, and was formally last head of state of East Germany.

On April 12, 1990, the Prime Minister of the GDR chosen at 108 votes against and 9 abstentions Lothar de Maizière (CDU ) with 265 votes. Deputies confirmed after en bloc also the Cabinet de Maizières, the first and last freely elected government of the GDR.

In its historic meeting on 23 August 1990, the People's Chamber decided the accession of the GDR to the Federal Republic of Germany with effect from 3 October 1990 and the end of the GDR as a subject of international law.

CDU / DA Group

The group called itself officially " CDU / DA" until August 5, 1990, the date of the merger of the two organizations. Then she called herself " the CDU parliamentary group ". The chairmen were:

  • March 27th - 10th April: Lothar de Maizière
  • April 10 -2. October: Günther Krause

SPD Group

The chairman of the SPD parliamentary group were:

  • March 21 - 26th March: Ibrahim Böhme
  • March 26th - 21st August: Richard Schroeder
  • August 21: Wolfgang Thierse

PDS Group

The chairman of the PDS group was during the entire term of Gregor Gysi.

DSU Group

The Group had the DSU March to October only a chairman, Hans Joachim Walther.

Fraction " Liberals "

The fraction " Liberals " was a parliamentary group of the FDP, DFP, LDP and NDPD. In the parliamentary elections were the first three parties participated as members of the list connection Alliance of Free Democrats, the NDPD presented its own list. After the formation of the People's Chamber, the two deputies of the NDPD joined the Liberal group. Chairman of the Group until October Rainer Ortleb.

Group Alliance 90/Grüne

Alliance 90 formed a parliamentary group with the Greens, who had no political group leaders, but several Group spokesman. The speakers of the group were:

  • Jens Reich (sometimes represented by Werner Schulz ) during the whole period;
  • Vera Berger also want to October;
  • Wolfgang Ullmann was elected in April as Vice President of the People's Chamber, took his place Marianne Birthler.

DBD / DFD Group

The Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany and the only members of the Democratic Women's League of Germany formed in the People's Chamber, a parliamentary group, whose chairman Günther Maleuda was. On 29 August 1990, the Group announced the disbanding. Maleuda remained attached Member, three DBD MPs joined the SPD, four of the Christian Democratic Union, a DBD deputy and the members of the DFD switched to the Liberal Group.

Non-attached

The selected via the Action Alliance United Left MPs Thomas Klein remained attached Member.

Johannes Dieckmann Egon Krenz Horst Sindermann Show election Politics of East Germany National Front (East Germany) Bill (law) State Council of East Germany Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany Democratic Women's League of Germany East German general election, 1990 1969 May 12 October 29 November 13 Democratic Awakening German Forum Party Association of Free Democrats History of East Germany List of Volkskammer members (9th election period) Integrated Authority File
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