President of East Germany
 | This article has an unclear citation style. (November 2018) |
| President of East Germany | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Residence | Schönhausen Palace |
| Seat | East Berlin, East Germany |
| Appointer | People's Chamber Chamber of States |
| Precursor | The Reichspräsident |
| Formation | 11 October 1949 |
| First holder | Wilhelm Pieck |
| Final holder | Wilhelm Pieck |
| Abolished | 7 September 1960 |
| Succession | State Council of East Germany |
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|---|
The President of the Republic (German: Präsident der Republik) was the head of state of East Germany (German Democratic Republic) from 1949 until 1960.[1][2] The office was created by the Constitution of 1949 (Section V). The President of the Republic was elected by the People's Chamber (Volkskammer) and the Chamber of States (Landerkammer), the two chambers of parliament. The office was more ceremonial in nature. If necessary, the President of the People's Chamber acted as the President of the Republic.
The sole incumbent was Wilhelm Pieck of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), elected on 11 October 1949[3] and re-elected in 1953 and in 1957. Shortly after the death of Pieck on 7 September 1960,[4] the Constitution was amended. The Law concerning the formation of the State Council of 12 September 1960 introduced a collective head of state instead of the presidency, the State Council of East Germany. In the last, democratic phase of East Germany in 1989/90, the State Council was abolished; President of the People's Chamber Sabine Bergmann-Pohl acted as head of state.
Election
According to Article 101 of the Constitution, the President was elected in a joint session of the Volkskammer and the Landerkammer for a term of four years. Every eligible voter, who had reached the age of 35, was eligible to vote.
Before the end of the term of office, the president could be voted out by a joint decision of the Volkskammer and the Landerkammer with two-thirds majority.
In case of prevention, death or incapacitation of the President, the President of the Volkskammer would take over for shorter periods of time.
The administrative reform of 1952 led to the dissolution of the states (Länder) of East Germany. The Landerkammer thereby became meaningless; It met in 1954 for the last time and was formally abolished in 1958.
As a result, the Volkskammer alone was responsible for the election of the president.
Office
Even more than the President of West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany), the President of East Germany had only a ceremonial position in the political system. He was head of state responsible for representing the country under international law, concluded treaties with foreign states and exercised right to give pardon.
In addition, he was responsible for swearing in the government when it took office and signed the laws adopted by the Volkskammer.
President Pieck was already at an advanced age when elected and did not play a major role in the dominant state party, SED. Although Pieck was Co-Chairman of SED (with Otto Grotewohl), most of the power was held by Walter Ulbricht, First Secretary of the party from 1950. This changed after the abolition of the presidential office, since the most powerful SED politician was usually also the Chairman of the State Council.
Abolition
After Wilhelm Pieck had died in 1960, the presidency was abolished in favor of a collective body, the State Council. The State Council was elected in the same way as the President, by the Volkskammer, and exercised the powers of the presidency. The State Council was effectively represented by its Chairman.
With the Constitution of 1968, the last references to the presidency were eliminated.
After the peaceful revolution, there were plans to reintroduce the office of the President of the Republic by constitutional law from 1990 onward, which did not happen in the course of German reunification.
See also
References
- ^ Cook, Bernard A. (2001). Europe Since 1945: An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. p. 1284. ISBN 9780815340584.
- ^ Rolf Badstübner and Wilfried Loth (eds) Wilhelm Pieck – Aufzeichnungen zur Deutschlandpolitik 1945–1953, Berlin: Wiley-VCH, 1994
- ^ Wilhelm Pieck timeline Retrieved 10 June 2010 Template:De icon
- ^ David Priestand, Red Flag: A History of Communism," New York: Grove Press, 2009