The Abgeordnetenhaus or City Parliament, is the state parliament of Berlin which is a city state in the Federal Republic of Germany. It is responsible for law making process as well as for the passage of vital measures that concern people of the city-state of Berlin. As promised in the previous installation of this blog series, in this post we will look at the nature and purpose of the Abgeordnetenhaus, describe its structure, and contemplate on its function in the politico-legal setting of Germany.
The Structure of the Abgeordnetenhaus
The Abgeordnetenhaus comprises 160 members, who are elected for a term of five years from September 15 by means of proportional representation. These members are known as “Abgeordnete” and they are supposed to voice the people of Berlin. They deal with the enactment of laws, debate over policies and making decisions in as far as the city-state is concerned.
The members of the Abgeordnetenhaus are distributed in various political groups according to the political conviction bearing the proportional values of the various political factions. Both party work hard to meet the expectations of the people in their leadership. The party that gets the most votes provides a coalition government and to ensure that have a majority they form a government with other parties to effectively steer the city state of Berlin.
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Legislative Power
The principal role for which the Abgeordnetenhaus exists is the enactment of legislation. People make laws through their representatives in the form of bills; they also endorse bills, and when approved in various stages, the bills receive further approval to become laws. Both laws have influence over many different spheres of the life in Berlin starting with education and ending with healthcare, city planning and transport systems.
Representing the People
The Abgeordnetenhaus holds the representation of the people of Berlin. Obviously, multiple means are used by the members in interacting with their constituents, listening to them, as well as promoting their agendas within the parliament. These are followers and advocates of people from various backgrounds in Berlin and fight in hopes of making Berlin a better place.
Controlling the Government
The Abgeordnetenhaus compares itself with a house of representatives of the people and has the responsibility to monitor the government and guarantee it is accountable to the public. The key role of members is to exercise the authority to challenge the policies and actions of the government accountable for their polices and practices. It accomplishes this by making certain that the government performs its duties for the welfare of the populace and only within the legal means.
Budgetary Decisions
Budget making is primarily done by the Abgeordnetenhaus. Members also approve the budget for the city-state for the year, with regard to the distribution of funds to different focal areas including education, health, physical, and social services. This process helps to used the public money adequately and economically.
These key-points are going to be discussed in details in order to unveil the role of the Abgeordnetenhaus.
In fact, the Abgeordnetenhaus is a key element of political and social life of Berlin and its population depends directly on the decision-making made by this institution. It enables the citizens to exercise their political influence, to gainpolitical knowledge and effect change as per their wishes.
This paper reveals that abgeordnetenhausfindings work for the different populace, help in fostering togetherness of the populace and has a central role in defining the future of Berlin. The City Parliament works towards this goal through its decisions and policies in order to create a sustainable, inclusive, prosperous city.
Conclusion
The Abgeordnetenhaus is an important institution that maintain democracy and also protects the interests of a population in Berlin, Germany. As the legislative house of the city-state, as the supervisory body over the government and as the house that decides over budgets of the city-state, the Abgeordnetenhaus has a central role in forming policies and the general direction of North Rhine Westphalia’s most populous city.
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