Landtag of Lower Saxony
State legislature in Germany
The Lower Saxon Landtag (Niedersächsischer Landtag) or the Parliament of Lower Saxony is the state diet of the German state of Lower Saxony. It convenes in Hanover and currently consists of 146 members, consisting of four parties. Since 2022 the majority is a coalition of the Social Democratic Party and the Greens, supporting the cabinet of Minister-President Olaf Lies (SPD).
01Landtag building
The Landtag is situated in the Leineschloss, a former residence of the kings of Hanover. After its destruction in World War II it was rebuilt from 1957 to 1962. Thus, from 1947 to 1962, the parliament of Lower Saxony convened in a convention centre (Stadthalle Hannover).
02Current composition
After the elections of 9 October 2022 the composition of the Lower Saxony Landtag is as follows:
| Party | Seats | (Percent) |
|---|---|---|
| Social Democratic Party (SPD) | 57 | 33.4% |
| Christian Democratic Union (CDU) | 47 | 28.1% |
| Alliance 90/The Greens (Die Grünen) | 24 | 14.5% |
| Alternative for Germany (AfD) | 18 | 11.0% |
Elections are conducted using a proportional representation system, with a minimum of 5% vote share to receive any seats in the Landtag.
Currently, the Social Democratic Party and the Greens have a government with 81 out of 146 seats (55.5%).
03Presidents of the Landtag
So far, the presidents of the Landtag of Lower Saxony have been:
- 1946-1955 Karl Olfers, Social Democratic Party (SPD)
- 1955-1957 Werner Hofmeister, German Party (DP)/Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
- 1957-1959 Paul Oskar Schuster, DP/CDU
- 1959-1963 Karl Olfers, SPD
- 1963-1967 Richard Lehners, SPD
- 1967-1974 Wilhelm Baumgarten, SPD
- 1974-1982 Heinz Müller, CDU
- 1982-1985 Bruno Brandes, CDU
- 1985-1990 Edzard Blanke, CDU
- 1990-1998 Horst Milde, SPD
- 1998-2003 Rolf Wernstedt, SPD
- 2003-2008 Jürgen Gansäuer, CDU
- 2008-2013 Hermann Dinkla, CDU
- 2013-2017 Bernd Busemann, CDU
- 2017-2022 Gabriele Andretta, SPD
- 2022 Hanna Naber, SPD
04Elections
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Landtag of Lower Saxony”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Landtag of Lower Saxony (current composition).svg by User:Ceedii1234, Public domain
- 13-03-19-landtag-niedersachsen-by-RalfR-179.jpg by Ralf Roletschek, CC BY-SA 3.0
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.