List of Ministers-President of North Rhine-Westphalia
The Minister President of North Rhine -Westphalia is the head of the executive branch of the State of North Rhine -Westphalia. As head of state he is in fact and law, the dominant figure in the political system of North Rhine- Westphalia. Relevant legal basis for his position is the Constitution for the state of North Rhine -Westphalia.
Currently, Hannelore Kraft (SPD), Minister-President of North Rhine -Westphalia; she is the first woman to hold this office.
Election and term completion
The Prime Minister is elected by Parliament by secret ballot, without debate, by a majority vote of the members. The prime minister must be a member as a deputy to the Diet. If in the first ballot no absolute majority vote, it is sufficient in the second and third ballot to unite more than half of the votes cast. Abstentions and invalid votes do not count as a vote cast. The second and a possible third ballot must be held within 14 days after the first ballot. If no one elected in the third ballot, a runoff between the two nominees with the highest number of votes will take place. With two exceptions, the Prime Minister has been getting elected in the first ballot, only the re-election of Franz Meyers on July 25, 1966, the election of Hannelore Kraft, 14 July 2010 only took place in the second round.
Since there are absolute majorities of individual parties in the parliament relatively rare due to the electoral law, normally forms a government coalition in the parliament, which has a majority of deputies and support the government's policy by agreeing proposed by the state government laws. To the Prime Minister, in practice, consistently a member of parliament of the strongest coalition party is elected. The prime minister can be voted out of office by a simple majority vote of no confidence. So far there have been two successful constructive vote of no confidence (1956 and 1966). The state government must resign if they submit a rejected by the Parliament Act to a vote of the people and this will be rejected. The Prime Minister may at any time resign voluntarily. Occurs after a state election, a new Parliament together, the term of office of the Prime Minister shall also be deemed terminated. The election period is usually five years. The Constitution but in all these cases that until the election of a new prime minister or his re-election, the previous prime minister and the former ministers have continued to run the business.
The people have no direct influence on the choice of the Prime Minister, but only indirectly via the elected representatives of the people in the state elections. In practice, the parties elect in advance of the parliamentary elections " leading candidate " is elected by those following a successful coalition-building the front-runner of the largest coalition partner in the rule as prime minister. At the center of state election campaign, therefore, always be the top candidates, especially of the larger parties.
Status and Tasks
Together with his state ministries formed by the Prime Minister, the state government. The country's minister of his cabinet, appoints and dismisses it in its sole discretion. The Prime Minister of North Rhine- Westphalia has under the Constitution, the policy-making power. The state ministers run their ministries after the departmental principle. In practice, the state ministers are provided by the government coalition parties in proportion to their size in the state parliament. Through the Resort division of the government, and the most necessary coalition to form a government ( cf. coalition agreement ), has the Prime Minister, in practice, do not have the unrestricted policy expertise, but must take into account coalition partners and the political ideas of, or (smaller). On the possibility of constructive votes of no confidence and, for example on the approval of the budget proposals of the government, the parliament has extensive controls of government. Overall, in the ratio of Prime Minister and the legislature, the principle of violence entanglement, which is the design of the state constitution to Gunde.
Most state agencies are subordinate to the Prime Minister indirectly. As a supreme state authorities in the country's ministries are. Among the country's top authorities (national competent authorities such as the State Criminal Investigation Department ), including the national safety authorities ( at the district governments in the settled authorities ), including the lower state agencies (eg, the district police authorities). The tasks of the lower and middle state authorities are partly perceived by organs of local self-government, such as the land councils or municipal associations. About the official selection, regulations and general administrative supervision, the state government controls the country's authorities. However, a certain amount of professional autonomy enjoy the so-called supreme state authorities such as the rather controlled by the Parliament and the Court of Audit of largely autonomous Constitutional Court of the State of North Rhine -Westphalia, to the extent this occurs as the authority in appearance; technically subject to this as all courts in the country anyway sponsorship of judicial independence. To a limited degree but works with the Government or the Ministry of Justice in the occupation of the courts, and thus also in the occupation of three of the seven judgeships at the Constitutional Court.
At the legislative branches of the prime minister or the entire government interacts with, by presenting bills to the Diet. Since the government relies in practice on a corresponding coalition, this initiative is significant. Other hand, in practice, little importance is the opportunity to present to the people for referendum rejected by parliament draft laws. If this template, however, met the people, the state government may dissolve the parliament so that an election of the state parliament takes place.
The state government represents the country mainly in the covenant. The state government sent to six representatives in the Federal Council, the members of the government are in accordance with Article 51 of the Basic Law. As the countries are voting closed in the Bundesrat, it is common in coalition governments that the state of North Rhine -Westphalia only agrees to a request if the coalition partners are in agreement on this question. In case of disagreement, the country contains voting which is equivalent to a negative vote in the Bundesrat. The functional competence of the Prime Minister is then not important.
Primarily, the Prime Minister is shown an organ of the executive and acts only to a limited extent to the Legislature and the Department of Justice to the Judiciary with. Because he represents the country abroad, signs international treaties and state laws, the Prime Minister is also the de facto head of state, which is like all the states of the Federal Republic is a state law in international law with limited by the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of rights.
Deputy
The Prime Minister appoints a member of the state government with his deputy and indicates this to the Parliament (Art. 52 para 3 LV). In the case of a coalition government he chooses to mostly from a minister of the coalition partner. In the information required by the Constitution Rules of Procedure of the State Government ( Rules of Procedure of the Government of North Rhine -Westphalia ( GOLR ) of 1 June 2005) details the substitution in paragraph 4.
State Chancellery
The State supports the Prime Minister in his office. Office of the State Chancellery is the office tower gate in the government district Dusseldorf.
Previous Prime Minister
The Prime Minister of the country were: