Parliamentary management committees

The prime representative of the Lower Saxony parliament and hence the representative of all the members is the President of the State Parliament. His role is to represent the state in State Parliament matters, to exercise domestic authority and keep order on the State Parliament premises, to manage the administration of the State Parliament and to exercise power under service regulations.

The role of the State Parliament administration is to assist the State Parliament with their considerable volume of work, as well as the various parliamentary committees, and also the individual members and parliamentary parties, who incidentally have their own staff.

The State Parliament administration is headed by the Director of the Lower Saxony State Parliament, who thus represents the President within the administration. The State Parliament administration comprises an administrative and a parliamentary department as well as the legislative and advisory service.

At its first, "constitutive" session after the start of the electoral period, the State Parliament elects not only the President but also his deputies and the secretaries, who together make up the "Presidium".

The role of this committee is to support the President in administrative matters and to take part for example in preparing the draft budget for the State Parliament or in important personnel decisions.

Another management function within the Lower Saxony State Parliament is performed by the so-called "Council of Elders".

Its remit is mainly to assist the President in parliamentary matters. The Council advises in particular on the annual timetable of business and - normally one week before the start of a particular session - on the agenda for the individual sittings of the State Parliament. It also decides on the seating order in the plenary chamber at the beginning of an electoral period.