Unterhaus (Roscamistan)
Lower House Unterhaus (German) | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | Unterhaus |
| History | |
| Preceded by | House of Lieutenants |
| Succeeded by | Chamber of Representatives |
| Leadership | |
Speaker | Samuel Newman (final), Independent since 28 November 2021 |
| Seats | 240 MPs and the Speaker |
| Elections | |
| First past the post in single member constituencies | |
The Unterhaus or Lower House in English, was the democratically elected lower house of the bicameral Reichstag or Parliament in English until 2 February 2022.
History
The Unterhaus alongside the Senat the appointed upper house, were created to replace the defunct Legislative Council, comprised of the Provisional Senate and the House of Lieutenants in October 2021.
Structure
The Unterhaus was comprised of 240 MPs, elected directly from single member constituencies by first past the post, the system of voting is single member voting or block voting depending on being in a political party or not. The Unterhaus had a Speaker who did not participate in debates or vote unless the house was split 50/50 then the Speaker became the 241st member to break the tie. The speaker decided who spoke and how long they were allowed to speak, and also moderated the debate.
Role of the government in the lower house
The lower house was important in electing the First Secretary of State, a de facto Premier, to represent the government in the lower house.
terms of the Unterhaus
The Unterhaus’s term lasted for 60 Months, unless the First Secretary of State with permission of the President to dissolve the house and begin fresh elections.
Composition of the Lower House
The lower house was comprised of 240 MPs, sent from the 11 provinces, and the population of each province determines the amount of MPs send to the Unterhaus.
Abolition
On 2 February 2022, the Unterhaus along with the whole of the Reichstag, was abolished and replaced by the Chamber of Representatives and the New Senate, the houses of the National Assembly. The reasoning behind the abolition was its unrealistic amount of seats, its use of a German name in a non-German name, and its inability to function.