The Landtag (State Parliament) of Lower Saxony
As the elected representative organ of the people, the Landtag (state parliament) is the supreme constitutional body in the state. It passes state-level legislation, approves the state budget and elects the Minister President. It is also involved in forming the state government, which it oversees.
We live in an indirect – i.e. representative – democracy. All power emanates from the people. It is exercised by them in elections and ballots (such as referenda), as well as by the state’s constitutional bodies: the legislative body (Landtag), the organ of executive power (state government and its subordinate authorities) and bodies of jurisdiction (State Constitutional Court and other courts). The Landtag has a special status among these constitutional bodies, being the only one elected directly by the people.
The Landtag is a representative body, acting on behalf of the entire people. It is, at the same time, also an organ of transformation, reflecting in its actions the different views and interests of its citizens in legally binding decisions that influence the state. It is also an elective body, as the members of this parliament elect the members of other state bodies (the state’s government and Court of Audit, the State Constitutional Court, and Data Protection Officers). And it is a controlling body, because it uses various instruments to oversee the state government and its administration.