Parliament
Plenary business in the German Bundestag
A view of the plenary chamber (German Bundestag/photothek)
The plenary, consisting of the entirety of the Members of the German Bundestag, sits and conducts its business in public. All items of business are dealt with and elections conducted during plenary sittings.
The date and agenda for each sitting are agreed in the Council of Elders and communicated to the Federal Government and the Bundesrat. The sittings are conducted by the President of the German Bundestag or one of his or her deputies.
On a motion tabled by one tenth of its Members or the Federal Government, the Bundestag may exclude the public by a two-thirds majority. The public may not be present when the plenary votes on motions of this kind.