The Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia - caught between the state government and the state parliament
PhD student: Caroline Wilsing, Ass. iur.
As head of government, the Minister President is caught between the state government and the state parliament. This dissertation is intended to work out the network of powers, duties and functions of the Minister President as part of the state government. This "power structure" of the state constitution and the associated problem areas are to be illustrated and discussed in depth. Although this topic of state constitutional law is not a new law or special judgment, the doctoral project offers plenty of scope for analysis, innovative approaches or reform considerations with regard to the figure of the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia.
The structure of the thesis is based on the cycle of the office of the Minister President. At the beginning, a brief historical analysis of the office of Minister-President is provided. This will be followed by a description of the election of the Minister President, with a focus on Art. 52 Para. 1 of the NRW state constitution with its special feature of "election from the midst of the state parliament".
The third chapter examines the powers of the Minister President during his term of office. In addition to the power to issue directives and the departmental principle of the collegial body of the state government, less prominent powers such as the right to pardon under Art. 59 of the NRW state constitution are also highlighted. Finally, the last chapter will deal with the termination of the office of prime minister. This will include a comparison of the various replacement mechanisms in the federal states.