• Organization and working methods
  • Introduction
  • Beginning of the electoral term
  • Organs of the Bundestag
  • Plenary sittings
  • Rights of the Bundestag to participate in mixed institutions
  • Membership of executive bodies
• Members
• Legislation
• Information counter
• Databases
• Europe
• International
• Parliamentary Library
• Virtual tour of the Parliament Quarter

• Imprint and copyright

The first sitting of the Bundestag is convened by the outgoing President no later than 30 days after the election. The beginning of this first sitting marks the end of the previous electoral term, and thus also of the term in office of the previous President of the Bundestag. Until a new President is elected, the oldest Member of the Bundestag (the President by age) chairs the meeting. At the constituent meeting, the Bundestag first of all adopts its rules of procedure. They can only be adopted for one electoral term at a time, since each Bundestag is free to decide, within the framework of the Basic Law, how to organize its work. Here, too, the principle of discontinuity applies.

The focal point of the constituent meeting is the election of the President of the Bundestag and his or her deputies. In accordance with a tradition stretching back to 1920, the largest parliamentary group nominates the candidate for this office. Also in line with parliamentary tradition, the newly elected President delivers a non-partisan political speech for which he or she can expect broad support in the House.

The Bundestag then decides how many deputies the President should have and proceeds to elect the Vice-Presidents. In the 13th electoral term (1994-1998), the Rules of Procedure were amended to give each parliamentary group at least one seat on the Presidium. This arrangement has been retained in the 15th electoral term, with the result that the Presidium now consists of the President and four Vice-Presidents. They take turns in chairing the plenary sittings.