A democracy thrives from the active participation of its citizens. In accordance with the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany, article 2 of the Constitution of the Federal State of Brandenburg therefore states the following: “The people are the sovereign arbiters of state authority”.
In the Federal State of Brandenburg there are therefore various different opportunities for participation in the political decision-making process. In this respect, the right to vote in elections is one of the key pillars of democracy: by electing the Members of Parliament, the citizens exercise their right of sovereignty, which means that they are the arbiters of state authority. However, they can also influence legislation via processes of direct democracy or sent petitions to the Parliament of the Federal State (Landtag Brandenburg).
The Landtag Brandenburg is elected for a period of five years. The President of the Landtag determines the election date in agreement with the Presiding Committee of the Landtag; electoral law in the Land states that the election must be held on a Sunday or statutory public holiday.
According to Article 24 of the Constitution of the Land of Brandenburg, every person has the right, jointly or individually, to approach the Landtag, the municipal self-governing bodies and any other state or municipal authority with their ideas, points of criticism or complaints.
The Constitution of the Land of Brandenburg complements the representative democracy with elements of public legislation. For this purpose, a three-stage process must be completed which is initiated with a Popular Initiative. A Petition to Initiate Legislation and a Referendum may follow.