State Council of East Germany
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State Council of the German Democratic Republic | |
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Staatsrat der DDR | |
Volkskammer | |
Term length | 5 years |
Constituting instrument | Constitution of East Germany |
Precursor | President of the German Democratic Republic |
Formation | 12 September 1960 |
Abolished | 5 April 1990 |
The State Council of the German Democratic Republic (
Origins
When the German Democratic Republic was founded in October 1949, its
However, from the start, the East German government was completely controlled by the SED, and over time its actual power structure grew closer to the model of the
Election
The State Council was elected by the People's Chamber, the East German parliament. Its term was originally four years, but was later changed to five years.
The body consisted of a chairman, several deputy chairmen (usually six), further members (usually sixteen) and a secretary. Members were taken from the political parties and mass organizations affiliated to the SED-controlled National Front. Occasionally an otherwise prominent citizen was also included. Outside of East Germany, the chairman's post was reckoned as being equivalent to that of president.
On paper, the Chairman of the State Council was the second highest ranking state official in East Germany, following the
Constitutional powers
Powers of the State council included
- to call elections to the People's Chamber and other parliamentary bodies
- to appoint members to the National Defense Council
- to grant reprieves
- to ratify international treaties
- to grant diplomatic accreditation
- to grant decorations and awards
- to sponsor families with many children
Originally, the State Council also could issue statutory decrees and legally-binding interpretations of the constitution and laws. The diplomatic role of head of state solely rested with the chairman. Both the body's legislative and judicial powers and the chairman's special diplomatic status were formally abolished in 1974.
Though the Council formally exercised its functions collectively, it was dominated by its chairman, especially if the chairman was also leader of the SED. In contrast, the predecessor post of president was a relatively weak position. However, the body had some importance as an advisory and decision-making body under Walter Ulbricht. When Ulbricht lost power in the early 1970s, the body was reduced to a ceremonial role. The 1974 amendments reflected this development; when Honecker became chairman in 1976, he derived virtually all of his power from his post as leader of the SED.
The secretariat of the State Council was of some practical importance as its approximately 200 employees since 1961 dealt with citizens' petitions. Authorities in government and economics were obliged to cooperate with the secretariat on this.
Abolition
When
The new People's Chamber, the first that emerged from free elections, met for the first time on 5 April 1990. Among its first measures was an amendment to the constitution abolishing the State Council. As provided in the constitution, the Presidium of the People's Chamber, headed by President Sabine Bergmann-Pohl, served as interim head of state until reunification with West Germany on 3 October.
List of members
Chairman | Political party | Took office | Left office |
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Walter Ulbricht | SED | 12 September 1960 | 1 August 1973 |
State Council elected 12 September 1960
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State Council elected 13 November 1963
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State Council elected 13 July 1967
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State Council elected 26 November 1971
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Willi Stoph | SED | 3 October 1973 | 29 October 1976 |
Composition see above. | |||
Erich Honecker | SED | 29 October 1976 | 24 October 1989 |
State Council elected 29 October 1976
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State Council elected 25 June 1981
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State Council elected 16 June 1986
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Egon Krenz | SED | 24 October 1989 | 6 December 1989 |
Composition see above. | |||
Manfred Gerlach | LDPD | 6 December 1989 | 5 April 1990 |
Composition see above. |
References
- ISBN 9780815340584.