Federal Chamber (Besmenia)

Besmenian Federal Chamber Besmenische Bundeskammer
Type
Type	Lower house
Term limits	4 years
History
Founded	August 2, 1920
Leadership
President of the Federal Chamber	Barbara Schröder, BVP since 2022
First Vice President of the Federal Chamber	Erika Badt-Springer, FBBP since 2016
Second Vice President of the Federal Chamber	Viktor Kühnhold, SDU since 2021
Structure
Seats	443
Political groups	Federal Government (258):   Besmenian People's Party: 141 seats   Social Democratic Union: 70 seats   Green Party of Besmenia: 47 seats Opposition (185):   Free Besmenian Citizen's Party: 92 seats   Party of the Besmenian Left: 45 seats   National Besmenian Party: 45 seats   Non-attached: 3 seats   PADBE - Democratic Palingia: 2 seats   Centre Alliance of Besmenia: 1 seat
Elections
Voting system	Open list proportional representation
Last election	2021 Besmenian federal election
Next election	Next Besmenian federal election
Meeting place
Federal Chamber building, Laitstadt
Website
www.bundeskammer.bm

The Federal Chamber (Besmenian: Bundeskammer), is the lower house and federal parliament of Besmenia. The Federal Chamber is based in the Federal Chamber building in the Besmenian capital, Laitstadt. In accordance with the Basic Law, together with the Federal Senate, which represents the federal states, it is called upon to legislate at the federal level. Both chambers are set up as independent bodies. In general, initiatives are initially discussed by the Federal Chamber, with the Federal Senate acting as the confirming or rejecting body in the legislative process. In special cases, the Federal Chamber and the Federal Senate meet together as a Federal Assembly, for example when the president is sworn in.

Before 1967, the Federal Chamber had 211 members. In the course of the Besmenian reunification, membership increased by 427 MPs. After Palingia joined the federal republic in April 2022 as the 14th state, membership increased by 443 MEPs. Palingia's 16 MPs were determined by party percentage in the 2022 Pallingian state election. The parties that reached the 5% threshold in that election also got seats in the Federal Chamber.

The last Federal Chamber election was held on August 8, 2021. The next election is scheduled for August 2025, should the Federal Chamber not dissolve itself before then.

Competences of the Federal Chamber

Legislative process

In addition to the Federal Government and the Federal Senate, the Federal Chamber has the right to propose bills, the so-called right of initiative.

A bill introduced from within the Federal Chamber must be supported by a faction or five percent of MPs. The bills are usually discussed and drafted beforehand in the Federal Chamber committees. In this way they are made “ready for voting”. The draft is first discussed in the entire Federal Chamber and approved or rejected there. If the law is passed, it goes on to the Federal Senate for deliberation. A federal government bill is first referred to the Federal Senate, where it is discussed. Together with his statement and the counter-statement of the federal government, the bill is then submitted to the Federal Chamber. Conversely, a bill from the Federal Senate goes to the Federal Chamber along with the Federal Government's opinion.

If a law is passed by the Federal Chamber, the further cooperation of the Federal Senate is required for it to pass. A distinction must be made here as to whether it is an objection law or a consent law. The rejection of an objection law by the Federal Senate can be overruled in the Federal Chamber. If the Federal Senate does not agree to a consent law, it has failed.

Current composition of the Federal Chamber

Group		Members	Faction leader
	Besmenian People's Party (BVP)	141 / 442	Karsten Betzler
	Free Besmenian Citizen's Party (FBBP)	92 / 442	Maria Herbst
	Social Democratic Union (SDU)	70 / 442	Angelika Pauer
	Green Party of Besmenia (GPB)	47 / 442	Stefan Tritter
	National Besmenian Party (NBP)	45 / 442	Markus Ernst
	Party of the Besmenian Left (PBL)	45 / 442	Ingrid Schencker
	PADBE - Democratic Palingia (PADBE)	2 / 442	-
	Centre Alliance of Besmenia (ZAB)	1 / 442	-

MPs and organization

The 165 Federal Chamber election districts

The Federal Chamber consists of 443 MPs who are usually elected every four years. As in most democracies, members of the Federal Chamber in Besmenia enjoy political immunity. This is divided into:

• Professional immunity: Members of Parliament can only be held responsible for their statements in plenary session before the Federal Chamber (personal immunity reason).
• Non-professional immunity: Typically, a Member of Parliament may only be prosecuted for his extra-parliamentary criminal behavior with the approval of the Immunity Committee, unless the offense is obviously unrelated to his political activity (e.g. false testimony in court in a criminal case) or he was caught in the act of committing a crime. In this case, the Immunity Committee can demand the end of the prosecution (and the lifting of an arrest that has already been made). Prosecution is possible again as soon as the mandate ends.

Factions

Most members of the Federal Chamber are members of a faction. A faction is usually formed by MPs from the same party. A faction must have at least 5 members. A faction consisting of less than 15 members is called a group. The groups have fewer rights in the Federal Chamber than a faction; For example, they have no right to nominate a vice-president from among their members. MPs whose party has even fewer members in the Federal Chamber or who have resigned from or been expelled from their parliamentary group/group are non-attached MPs. They have all the rights and duties of an MEP in a parliamentary group or group, but not the rights of the parliamentary group or group itself.

Presidium

Barbara Schröder is since 2022 the current President of the Federal Chamber.

In the first session after the election to the Federal Chamber, the members elect the President of the Federal Chamber and two deputies. The President of the Federal Chamber traditionally comes from the largest faction in the Federal Chamber, regardless of whether that faction is a member of the governing coalition or in opposition. the two deputies come from the second and third largest factions. The members of the presidium take turns in chairing Federal Chambers meetings; Only at very important meetings does the President of the Federal Chamber actually preside for the entire duration of the meeting.

The President of the Federal Chamber has domiciliary rights in the Federal Chamber. He also makes the most important personnel decisions in the administration of the parliament. Formally, all letters from other constitutional bodies and also bills from the Federal Chamber are addressed to him. The President of the Federal Chamber is also the official deputy of the Besmenian President.

Presidents of the Federal Chamber

Name	Took office	Left office	Party
Martin Strobel (1873-1951)	1920	1924	BDP
Wolfgang Stück (1876-1957)	1924	1932	BVP
Heinrich Friedensberg (1878-1974)	1932	1935	BVP
Johannes Kreiger (1883-1960)	1935	1944	BVP
Bruno Wagner (1888-1974)	1944	1956	LBB
Rudolf Volker (1899-1971)	1956	1960	LBB
Viktor Weissel (1905-1993)	1960	1964	BVP
Herbert Lehmberg (1913-1996)	1964	1972	SDU
Franz Missmahl (1922-2011)	1972	1980	BVP
Hertha Schuardt (1928-2023)	1980	1993	FBBP
Holger Tiefenbach (1940-)	1993	2001	BVP
Hans Westphal (1945-)	2001	2007	FBBP
Gudrun Senf (1946-)	2007	2012	FBBP
Rupert Bödermann (1954-2023)	2012	2022	BVP
Barbara Schröder (1966-)	2022	Incumbent	BVP

Historical composition

KPB   PBL   SDU   FPB   GPB   FBBP   DB   CPB   Liberal Citizen's/LBB   BVP   BDP   BKP   BELP   NBP   BRP   BBU   BNVP   BNU-East
1920	20 51 13 6 56 29 4 22 10
1924	15 49 15 48 52 21 11
1928	17 51 45 74 24
1932	14 43 26 110 18
1936	11 48 35 97 20
1940	48 51 88 24
1944	50 75 66 20
1948	53 81 58 19
1952	56 75 62 18
1956	55 78 61 17
1960	67 43 72 29
1964	76 41 68 26
1968	132 74 29 128 27 37
1972	98 77 181 25 46
1976	95 108 174 50
1980	69 144 26 141 47
1981	73 153 27 129 45
1985	95 176 28 91 37
1989	70 179 33 145
1993	53 124 65 153 32
1997	57 114 61 156 39
2001	23 62 153 32 115 42
2005	25 61 43 137 115 46
2009	40 57 45 128 106 51
2012	32 73 36 101 142 43
2016	36 58 40 111 133 23 26
2020	39 58 42 108 139 41
2021	45 65 47 90 137 43

Elections

In Besmenia, Federal Chamber elections are referred to as Bundeskammerwahl. Due to the equal, direct, personal, free and secret suffrage of men and women who have reached the age of 16 on the day of the election (since 2021; previously the age of 18), the Besmenian population will elect 443 members (deputies) according to the principles of proportional representation chosen. The elections using open list proportional representation in 165 multi-member constituencies. The number of members to be returned from each constituency varies between 1 and 7. Eligible for election are those entitled to vote in the Federal Chamber who have Besmenian citizenship on the key date and have reached the age of 18 on the day of the election. The conduct and administration of the elections to the Federal Chamber is the responsibility of the electoral authorities, which are formed before each election. There is a 5% hurdle in the election. The first session of the newly elected Federal Chamber always takes place 20 days after the election.

Latest election

Main article: 2021 Besmenian federal election

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Besmenian People's Party	17,775,672	30,8	137
	Free Besmenian Citizen's Party	11,658,071	20,2	90
	Social Democratic Union	8,426,130	14,6	65
	Green Party of Besmenia	6,175,314	10,7	47
	Party of the Besmenian Left	5,829,035	10,1	45
	National Besmenian Party	5,540,469	9,6	43
	Other parties	2,193,102	3,8	0
Invalid/blank votes		115,426	0,2	–
Total		57,713,219	100	427
Registered voters/turnout		62,832,132	93,9	–

It should be noted that the election took place before the accession of Palingia and the associated enlargement of the Federal Chamber.

Distribution of Federal Chamber seats by state

State		Seats
	Sedakania	69
	Maurenmark	49
	Summingia	43
	Laitstadt	33
	Greuningia	32
	Lemberland	31
	Tergau	31
	Zollingia	29
	Neidenstein-Sulzburg	27
	Jakartaburg	26
	Metakumburg	25
	Gablitz	16
	Frankenburg	16
	Palingia	16

List of Federal Chamber sessions since 1920

Session	Election	Seats	Government
1.	1920	211	BDP-SDU majority
2.	1924	211	BVP-SDU majority
3.	1928	211	BVP-SDU majority
4.	1932	211	BVP majority
5.	1936	211	BVP-SDU majority
6.	1940	211	BVP-LBB majority
7.	1944	211	LBB-BVP majority
8.	1948	211	LBB-SDU majority
9.	1952	211	LBB-SDU majority
10.	1956	211	BVP-SDU majority
11.	1960	211	BVP-SDU majority
12.	1964	211	SDU-BVP majority
13.	1968	427	SDU-BVP majority
14.	1972	427	BVP-BRP majority
15.	1976	427	BVP-BRP majority
16.	1980	427	FBBP-SDU minority
17.	1981	427	FBBP-SDU majority
18.	1985	427	FBBP-SDU majority
19.	1989	427	FBBP-SDU majority
20.	1993	427	BVP-GPB majority
21.	1997	427	BVP-GPB majority
22.	2001	427	FBBP-SDU majority
23.	2005	427	FBBP-BVP majority
24.	2009	427	FBBP-BVP majority
25.	2012	427	BVP-SDU majority
26.	2016	427	BVP-FBBP majority
27.	2020	427	BVP-FBBP majority
28.	2021	427	BVP-SDU-GPB majority