State diet of the German state of Saarland
The Landtag of the Saarland is the state diet of the German federal state of Saarland. It convenes in Saarbrücken and currently consists of 51 members of five parties. The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) is the largest party in the Landtag with 29 seats, an absolute majority that allows the party to govern without a coalition. The 2022 elections marked the first time that the SPD had won the state in 20 years.[1]
History
As a consequence of the German Empire's defeat in the First World War, the Saargebiet was separated from Germany. Between 1920 and 1935, the Landesrat or state council existed as the local representative body and thus as the predecessor of the state parliament of Saarland. There was no Saarland representative body during the Third Reich. After the German defeat in World War II, the Saarland became a French protectorate.
On May 23, 1947, a 20-member constitutional commission was formed to draft a foundational document for the Saarland in the parliamentary manner of the other German countries. On October 5, 1947, a constitutional assembly was elected that became Saarland's first state parliament following the successful adoption of the constitution.
The Landtag of the Saarland meets in the building built in 1865/1866 for the Saarbrücken Casino Society in what is now Franz-Josef-Röder-Strasse. The building was designed by the architect Julius Carl Raschdorff, noted as the designer of the Berlin Cathedral.[2]
Current composition
The last election of the Landtag of Saarland was on 27 March 2022.[3]
Elections are conducted using a proportional representation system, with a 5% threshold to receive seats.
