Politics in Hamburg

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Plenary Hall of the Hamburg Parliament in the Hamburg City Hall
Senate meeting room: The council chamber in the Senate enclosure of the town hall
Seat of the Hamburg Constitutional Court and the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court

Politics in Hamburg has a peculiarity in that the city-state Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg is both a municipality and a member state . Hamburg's politics accordingly range from details of local politics to the federal political influence of the state through the Federal Council .

The general election in Hamburg 2020 took place on February 23.

Political system of Hamburg

The legal basis of the political system are the Basic Law and the Constitution of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg .

As a member state ( Land ) of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg has its own statehood. It is republic , democracy , welfare state and rule of law . At the same time, it is a single municipality ( unitary municipality ), according to Article 4 of the Constitution of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg there is no separation between state and municipal tasks .

In the parlance of the territorial countries:

Hamburg Flat land
Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg State and municipality at the same time
Citizenship Landtag and at the same time local council
senate State government and, at the same time, local administration and head of state
First Mayor Prime Minister and Mayor at the same time
Second mayor Deputy Prime Minister and Mayor
Senator, President of an authority State minister and alderman at the same time
State Council , Senate Syndicate State Secretary
Senate Chancellery State Chancellery
Deputation Special citizen participation body, assigned to the senator at his authority
authority State Ministry
district State and at the same time urban administrative district
District Assembly Elected representative body on the level below the community in the 7 districts
District Office Manager Head of administration in the districts

legislative branch

The legislative power ( legislature ) is exercised by the representative body or directly by the people.

Hamburg citizenship

The Hamburg Parliament has the country's Parliament functions in particular

  • the legislation,
  • the election of the First Mayor,
  • the control of the Senate.
choice

As a representative of the people , the citizenship is elected for a period of five years in general, direct, free, equal and secret elections. With the amendment of Hamburg's electoral law , since the 2008 election, some of the members of the electorate have been directly elected in the 17 electoral districts with the option of accumulating or distributing several votes. The proportional representation system , which was heavily personalized on the basis of a referendum , was then expanded again ( 2011 election ). The same applies to the elections to the district assemblies, which have so far been held at the same time and will take place in parallel to the European elections from 2014 onwards .

People's legislation

According to the Hamburg constitution, legislation can also be passed directly by the people. See also the main article in the People's Legislation (Hamburg) .

executive

Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg

The executive power ( executive ) rests with the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg as a state government that leads the management and supervision and the city-state represents to the outside and represents. The Senate is headed by the First Mayor as President of the Senate. Every senator is regularly head of department ( president ) of a ministry ( authority ). The Senate can appoint Senate syndici for support who advise and represent it. These state councilors (political officials) are also the highest officials in their respective departments (senate authorities and offices).

Each senator is assigned deputations in his or her authority , which, as special participation bodies of the people, consist of citizens (deputies) who work on a voluntary basis.

Judiciary

Hamburg Constitutional Court

The judicial power ( judiciary ) is exercised by the Hamburg Constitutional Court and 17 other courts in the state .

The professional judges of the specialized courts are appointed by the Senate in accordance with Article 63 of the Constitution on the proposal of a judges' selection committee.

District level

The districts in Hamburg each have district offices for decentralized administrative tasks , headed by the district office manager . Resolutions at the district level are made by the parliaments elected there, the district assemblies . Legally, however, these have the status of administrative committees with limited powers. If decisions there run counter to the Senate's policy or are of importance for the city as a whole, the Senate can take the decision to itself (right of evocation ).

Representation and politics outside of Hamburg

Hamburg State Representation in Berlin

Hamburg is represented in the Federal Republic of Germany with three votes in the Federal Council and maintains the representation of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg to the federal government in Berlin , with the federal representative at its head. In the German Bundestag are six MPs Hamburg via the direct mandates of federal electoral districts Altona , Bergedorf - Harburg , Eimsbüttel , Hamburg-Mitte , Hamburg-Nord and Wandsbek and other Members represented on the national list.

In the European Union , Hamburg is represented in the Committee of the Regions and maintains the Hanse Office in Brussels .

Overview of the legislative periods

Before 1945

see article on the history of Hamburg and the history of the citizenship . Furthermore, Hamburg Senate 1861–1919 ; Hamburg Senate 1919–1933 ; Hamburg Senate under National Socialism .

1945 to 2011

Hamburg was ruled by SPD- led senates from 1946 to 1953 and from 1957 to 2001 . In the meantime, from 1953 to 1957, there was a bourgeois coalition of the CDU , FDP and German party under the CDU politician Kurt Sieveking . After the Hamburg Constitutional Court declared the 1991 election of 1991 to be invalid due to undemocratic candidate lists by the CDU in Hamburg, an electoral association ( STATT party DIE INDEPENDENT) with the former CDU rebel Markus Wegner was able to move into the town hall for the first time and cooperate with the SPD until 1997. Subsequently, a coalition of SPD / GAL ruled . Since the elections in October 2001, a coalition of the CDU, the Rule of Law Party (PRO) and the FDP has ruled, which was terminated by the Mayor Ole von Beust (CDU) after the breakup of the PRO on December 9, 2003 . The new elections on February 29, 2004 ended with an absolute majority for the CDU. The Rule of Law Offensive party, which received 19.4% of the vote in the last election, and the ProDM / Schill of ex-Interior Senator Ronald Schill and Euro critic Bolko Hoffmann , just like the FDP, missed entry into the citizenry. The SPD, which ruled for 44 years before 2001, had its worst result after 1945 with 30.5%, while the GAL was able to gain significantly. The absolute majority of the CDU ended with the elections in February 2008, without there having been a majority for a coalition within the classic camps. A government coalition consisting of the CDU and GAL was then formed, which constituted the first black-green state government in Germany. Ole von Beust was again First Mayor. A central political project of the coalition, the school reform , failed in a referendum on July 18, 2010. Even during the voting period, Mayor Ole von Beust announced his resignation on August 25, 2010, his successor being the former Interior Senator Christoph Ahlhaus . The new Senate Ahlhaus collapsed on November 28, 2010 with the withdrawal of the GAL from the coalition. Until the election of a new First Mayor on March 7, 2011 after the early elections on February 20, 2011, the remaining CDU senators formed a minority senate.

Current Senate

Peter Tschentscher, SPD: since March 28, 2018, first mayor

Katharina Fegebank, Greens: since April 15, 2015, second mayor

Election results

Elections for Hamburg citizenship since 1945
Election date Voter SPD CDU Green 1 FDP The left 2 AfD PER INSTEAD OF DP VBH (1949) /
HB (1953)		 KPD Rest
1st election on October 13, 1946 79.0% 43.1% 26.7% - 18.2% - - - - - - 10.4% 1.6%
Second election on October 16, 1949 70.5% 42.8% s. VBH - s. VBH - - - - 13.3% 34.5% 7.4% 2.0%
3rd election of November 1, 1953 81.0% 45.2% s. HB - s. HB - - - - s. HB 50.0% 3.2% 1.6%
4th election on November 10, 1957 77.3% 53.9% 32.2% - 8.6% - - - - 4.1% - - 1.2%
5th election on November 12, 1961 72.3% 57.4% 29.1% - 9.6% - - - - - - - 3.9%
6th election of March 27, 1966 69.8% 59.0% 30.0% - 6.8% - - - - - - - 4.2%
7th election of March 22, 1970 73.4% 55.3% 32.8% - 7.1% - - - - 0.1% - - 4.7%
8th election of March 3, 1974 80.4% 45.0% 40.6% - 10.9% - - - - - - - 3.5%
9th election of June 4, 1978 76.6% 51.5% 37.6% 4.5% 4.8% - - - - - - - 1.7%
10th election of June 6, 1982 77.8% 42.7% 43.2% 7.7% 4.9% - - - - - - - 1.5%
Election of December 19, 1982 84.0% 51.3% 38.6% 6.8% 2.6% - - - - - - - 0.7%
12th election on November 9, 1986 77.8% 41.7% 41.9% 10.4% 4.8% - - - - - - - 1.2%
13th election on May 17, 1987 79.5% 45.0% 40.5% 7.0% 6.5% - - - - - - - 1.0%
14th election of June 2, 1991 66.1% 48.0% 35.1% 7.2% 5.4% 0.5% - - - - - - 3.8%
15th election on September 19, 1993 69.6% 40.4% 25.1% 13.5% 4.2% 0.5% - - 5.6% - - - 10.7%
16th election on September 21, 1997 68.7% 36.2% 30.7% 13.9% 3.5% 0.7% - - 3.8% 0.0% - - 11.1%
17th election on September 23, 2001 71.0% 36.5% 26.2% 8.6% 5.1% 0.4% - 19.4% 0.4% - - - 3.8%
18th election on February 29, 2004 68.7% 30.5% 47.2% 12.3% 2.8% 0.4% - 0.4% - - - - 6.8%
19th election on February 24, 2008 63.5% 34.1% 42.6% 9.6% 4.8% 6.4% - - - - - - 2.5%
20th election on February 20, 2011 57.3% 48.4% 21.9% 11.2% 6.7% 6.4% - - - - - - 5.4%
21st election on February 15, 2015 56.5% 45.6% 15.9% 12.3% 7.4% 8.5% 6.1% - - - - - 4.2%
22nd election on February 23, 2020 63.2% 39.2% 11.2% 24.2% 4.97% 9.1% 5.3% - - - - - 6.0%

For more detailed results and the allocation of seats - including the district assemblies - see election results in Hamburg .

Political issues

The political issues that the citizenship and the Senate deal with cover a broad spectrum. They range from foreign policy issues through federal legislation to municipal matters, which may also be discussed in the district assemblies. Outside the constitutional organs, the political parties of the Hanseatic city, but also other institutions, clubs, associations and civic interest groups devote themselves to different subject areas.

Examples of some political issues with particular reference to Hamburg:

education and Science

Finances and budget

Urban development and the environment

  • Urban development under the motto growing city (since 2008 growing with foresight ).
  • Construction of HafenCity and further development from Veddel, Wilhelmsburg to Harburg under the motto Jump over the Elbe .
  • Gentrification of districts.
  • Mühlenberger Loch . Funding for Airbus expansion (2001–2003).
  • Construction of the Moorburg power plant (2007)

Judiciary

Transport and infrastructure

  • Construction of a road connection between two motorways in the harbor ( Hafenquerspange / Hafenpassage ) and relocation of Wilhelmsburger Reichsstraße
  • Abolition of the tram (1978) and reintroduction of the Hamburg Stadtbahn .
  • Privatization of the gas, electricity and district heating supply (HeinGas Hamburger Gaswerke GmbH to E.ON Hanse 2003, Hamburgische Electricitäts-Werke - HEW to Vattenfall 2002) and the counter-trend of “remunicipalisation in Hamburg”.

Referenda / right to vote

Economy and port

other topics

Historical themes

European politics

Hamburg represents its interests in the European Union in a variety of ways by participating in various organs and committees, e.g. B. in the European Parliament , the Committee of the Regions and through the representation of the states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein in the EU, the so-called Hanse Office .

Hamburg's European policy is coordinated by the Senate Chancellery under the leadership of the First Mayor Olaf Scholz ( SPD ). The State Councilor responsible for European policy is currently Wolfgang Schmidt. As an authorized representative at the federal government, the European Union and for foreign affairs, Schmidt is also responsible for the affairs of the Hamburg state representation in Berlin and the Hanse Office , the representation of the states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein at the EU in Brussels . Head of the Hanse Office for Hamburg is Dr. Claus Müller.

In August 2010, the then ruling black-green Senate presented its European policy priorities.

In the Hamburg Citizenship , the European Committee is responsible for cross-sectional European policy issues, currently chaired by Alexander Wolf ( AfD ). In the current electoral term (2014-2019), Hamburg is represented in the European Parliament by two members: Knut Fleckenstein (SPD) and Fabio De Masi ( Die Linke ). In the Committee of the Regions Hamburg is currently by Barbara Duden represented (SPD).

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Der Spiegel from July 18, 2010: The wording of Ole von Beust's resignation speech
  2. ↑ Hamburger Abendblatt of August 25, 2010: Ahlhaus elected mayor with votes from the opposition
  3. ↑ Black-green failed in Hamburg. Archived from the original on November 29, 2010 ; Retrieved November 28, 2010 .
  4. ↑ Information on Hamburg's current European policy in the EU regional portal ( Memento from February 3, 2014 in the Internet Archive ). Retrieved on June 25, 2012
  5. ↑ Hanse Office - News. Retrieved December 16, 2019 .
  6. ^ European political priorities 2010 ( Memento from January 31, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 359 kB)
  7. ^ Members of the Committee of the Regions. Retrieved December 22, 2015