Prime Minister of Baltia

Prime Minister of Baltia Ministerpräsident fon Baltia
Incumbent Jürgen Ratzlaff since 23 November 2016
Style	His/Her Excellency
Member of	the Government European Council
Residence	Small Guild House
Seat	Government Palace, Riga
Nominator	Parliament of Baltia
Appointer	President of Baltia
Term length	No fixed term
Inaugural holder	Stanislaf Narutowicz (As the President of the Provisional Government)
Formation	24 March 1918
Salary	108.000€/year
Deputy	Deputy Prime Minister
Website	baltia_gov.bl

The Prime Minister of Baltia (Baltish: Ministerpräsident fon Baltia, literally translated as Minister-President of Baltia) is the head of government of the Republic of Baltia.

The Prime Minister is appointed by the President after appropriate consultations with the parliamentary factions and confirmed by the Landtag. The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the largest party in the ruling coalition. The 37th and current Prime Minister of Baltia is Jürgen Ratzlaff of the Baltish People's Party.

History

Baltia was governed by three Presidents of the Provisional Government during the first year (1918-1919) of its independence after the collapse of the Russian Empire.

Under Baltia's 1920 original Constitution, the head of government is called Minister-President. This system was a radically parliamentary system because the Prime Minister could be dismissed by the Parliament with a simple majority. In 1936, Karl Ullmann partially suspended the Constitution by increasing the powers of the President to the detriment of the Parliament and the Prime Minister. In 1945, the Constitution was reestablished in all its articles and 3 years later, with the constitutional referendum of 1948, some articles were modified. Among others changes, the powers of the Prime Minister were increased and reinforced to the detriment of the Parliament.

Powers and role

In his role as appointed by the President and laid forth in the Constitution, the Prime Minister serves as the head of government. He does not head any specific ministry, but is, in accordance with the Constitution, the supervisor of the work of the government. The Prime Minister’s significance and role in the government and his relations with other ministries often depend on the position of the party led by the Prime Pinister in vis-à-vis the coalition partners, and on how much influence the Prime Minister possesses within his own party. If the Prime Pinister has a strong position within his party, he can enjoy considerable authority. In all crucial national questions, however, the final word rests with Landtag as the legislative power.

The Prime Minister is responsible for appointing the members of the Cabinet, the Head of the Prime Minister's Office and the Government's Chancellor, who heads the State Chancellery, which is the central administration of the Baltish government.

The function of Prime Minister is lost through resignation, death, meeting of a new legislature, entry into office of a new government or the no confidence expressed by the Landtag by the vote of an absolute majority of a resolution proposed by a fifth of members of the Parliament. The end of the Prime Minister's duties entails that of the government.

Amenities

The Government Palace in Alstadt Riga.

Office and residences

The Government Palace, including Government Offices and the Prime Minister's Office, is located at Cathedral Square in Riga Old Town, in front of the Riga Cathedral. In May 1856, after several buildings were demolished to create the Cathedral Square, the building was ceremoniously opened in the presence of the Russian tsar Alexander II, to housed the central administration of the Grand Duchy of Baltia.

In 1961, the Small Guild House (or the "St. John's Guild House" as it was previously called) was acquired, and since 1965 it has served as the official residence of the Prime Minister.

Bojenn, a manor house in Hasenpoth Municipality, Courland Region, has served as country official residence for the Prime Minister since 1955. The manor is also frequently used for governmental conferences and informal summits between the government, industry and organisations in Baltia.

Salary

The salaries of the cabinet ministers, including the Prime Minister, is decided by and is the subject of annual review by the Parliamentary Salary Committee (Landtag Gehaltausschuss) of the Parliament. Since 1 January 2015 the Prime Minister's monthly salary is 9,000€ or 108,000€ per year.

List of Prime Ministers (1918-present)

N.	Name	Took office	Left office	Political Party	Elected	Cabinet(s)
1	Stanislaf Narutowicz (1862-1932)	24 March 1918	28 June 1918	Independent	—	Narutowicz
		Provisional Government.
2	Anton Schmidt (1874-1944)	28 June 1918	4 December 1918	BB	—	Schmidt
		First centrist PM, Provisional Government, beginning of the Baltish War of Independence, left the office because was elected Regent.
3	Jürgen Sauer (1879-1948)	4 December 1918	4 April 1919	BB	—	Sauer
		Provisional Government.
4	Franz Dorfmann (1886-1942)	4 April 1919	20 January 1920	NRP	1919	Dorfmann
		First centre-right PM, Anton Schmidt elected President (1st term), Agrarian Act 1919.
5	August Forgrimler (1883-1942)	20 January 1920	21 March 1921	BB	—	Forgrimler I
		First term, end of the Baltish War of Independence, Treaty of Dorpat was signed, Constitution came into force.
6	Otto Strassmann (1875-1941)	21 March 1921	8 November 1923	BSDAP	1921	Strassmann
		First centre-left PM, Alexander Stuckmann elected President, League of Nations membership, Municipal Act 1922, 1923 General strike.
7	Johannes Pilz (1884-1942)	8 November 1923	12 December 1924	BSDAP	—	Pilz
		Failed coup d'état, 1924-1925 political crisis.
8	Ernst Gattermann (1882-1967)	12 December 1924	6 March 1925	Independent	—	Gattermann
		Caretaker government.
9	Konstantin Pasche (1874-1956)	6 March 1925	28 August 1931	BB	1925,1929	Pasche I Pasche II
		BR Radio begins broadcasting, Anton Schmidt elected President (2nd term), Local administration Act 1930.
(5)	August Forgrimler (1883-1942)	28 August 1931	15 January 1932	BB	—	Forgrimler II
		Second term.
10	Johannes Teller (1868-1941)	15 January 1932	27 May 1932	CDU	—	Teller
		1932 General strike.
11	August Reitz (1886-1963)	27 May 1932	15 May 1933	BDP	1932	Reitz
		Income Tax introduced, Konstantin Pasche elected President, 1932-1935 political crisis.
(5)	August Forgrimler (1883-1942)	15 May 1933	4 September 1933	BB	—	Forgrimler III
		Third term.
12	Arthur Albrecht (1876-1934)	4 September 1933	1 March 1934	BSDAP	—	Albrecht
		Resigned due to poor health; died in less than two months later.
13	Josef Totleben (1882-1939)	1 March 1934	15 May 1935	BB	—	Totleben
		Agrarian reform Act 1935.
14	Karl Ehmann (1888-1942)	15 May 1935	22 October 1935	Independent	—	Ehmann
		Caretaker government.
15	Karl Ullmann (1877-1942)	22 October 1935	8 January 1936	BNU	1935	Ullmann
		First right-wing PM, resignation of Konstantin Pasche, left the office to become new President.
16	Anton Metzger (1887-1955)	8 January 1936	15 June 1940	BNU	1939	Metzger I Metzger II
		Partial suspension of the Constitution, beginning of WWII, Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact was signed, resigned after the 1940 Soviet ultimatum.
17	Kasimir Schwortz (1894-1941)	15 June 1940	18 June 1940	BNU	—	Schwortz
		Soviet occupation, arrested and dismissed as PM.
18	Vinzent Kremers (1882-1954)	18 June 1940	21 July 1940	Independent	—	Kremers
		Government formed by some members of Landtag, arrested and deposed as PM.
No Baltish government (21 July 1940 - 1 October 1941)
19	Jürgen Uhlemann (1890-1945)	1 October 1941	23 August 1942	Independent	—	Uhlemann
		Government in exile.
20	Otto Thiessen (1889-1976)	23 August 1942	5 May 1945	Independent	—	Thiessen
		Government in exile.
21	Reinhold Meisser (1889-1971)	5 May 1945	16 October 1945	BSDAP/SP	—	Meisser
		First centre-left PM since 1934, unity government, liberation & end of WWII, Constitution reinstated, "active neutrality” policy starts.
22	Karl Schmidt (1896-1979)	16 October 1945	10 October 1952	SP	1945, 1949	Schmidt I Schmidt II
		Reinhold Meisser elected President, first municipal elections, Health Act 1947 & foundation of the National Health Service, Constitutional reform 1948, Education Act 1950, resigned after not having support in the party conference.
23	Gerhard Mucke (1900-1990)	10 October 1952	17 December 1958	SP	1953, 1957	Mucke I Mucke II Mucke III
		BR TV begins broadcasting, Karl Schmidt elected President, Tax increase, child benefit creation, defeated by a vote of no confidence.
24	Jürgen Kindler (1904-1988)	17 December 1958	16 December 1966	BFP	1958, 1962	Kindler I Kindler II
		First centre-right PM since 1932, approach to the West, Local administration reform Act 1960, Pension reform Act 1963.
25	Johannes Fischbein (1913-2007)	16 December 1966	18 August 1978	BFP	1966, 1970, 1974	Fischbein I Fischbein II Fischbein III
		Jürgen Kindler elected President, Constitutional reform 1970, Fischbein affair, resigned after SP withdraw from the government coalition.
26	Annemarie Grimminger (1924-2012)	18 August 1978	21 December 1978	BFP	—	Grimminger
		First female elected PM, death penalty abolished.
27	Lorenz Spahn (1937-2016)	21 December 1978	22 January 1991	SP	1978, 1982, 1986	Spahn I Spahn II Spahn III
		Longest serving PM. Abortion Act 1979, Health Act 1980, Constitutional reform 1981, Municipal reform Act 1981, Gerhard Mucke elected President, resignation of Gerhard Mucke, Leonard Meier elected President.
28	Berthold Lutz (1938-2011)	22 January 1991	22 June 1992	BFP	1990	Lutz
		Early 1990s economic crisis, 1992 political crisis, defeated by a vote of no confidence.
29	Johannes Pracht (1952-)	22 June 1992	7 January 1993	Independent	—	Pracht
		Caretaker government, Veronika Finke-Freiberger elected President.
30	Martin Lasch (1960-)	7 January 1993	25 November 1994	CSU	1992	Lasch I
		First term, Ruble scandal, Viking Sally disaster, EU referendum and accession rejected, defeated by a vote of no confidence.
31	Andreas Taschner (1940-)	25 November 1994	17 April 1995	BFP	—	Taschner
		Human Rights Act 1995.
32	Andreas Scheller (1958-)	17 April 1995	25 March 1999	SP	1995	Scheller
		Social Care Act 1996, unsuccessful vote of no confidence.
(30)	Martin Lasch (1960-)	25 March 1999	28 January 2002	CSU	1999	Lasch II
		Second term, Martin Lasch shooting controversy.
33	Samuel Kallmann (1948-)	28 January 2002	10 April 2003	ZP	—	Kallmann
		First centrist PM since 1935, military conscription abolished.
34	Einar Reitter (1961-)	10 April 2003	12 April 2005	CSU	2003	Reitter
		EU & NATO referendum and accession, Thomas H. Imhoff elected President, resigned after a vote of no confidence against Minister of Justice.
35	Andreas Annen (1956-)	12 April 2005	26 March 2014	ZP	2007, 2011	Annen I Annen II Annen III
		Reval unrest, cyberattacks launched against Baltia, financial crisis of 2007–2008, anti-austerity protests, Euro enters into circulation.
36	David Romberg (1979-)	26 March 2014	23 November 2016	ZP	2015	Romberg I Romberg II
		Military conscription reintroduced, same-sex unions legalized, Christine Kallenbach elected President, defeated by a vote of no confidence.
37	Jürgen Ratzlaff (1978-)	23 November 2016	Incumbent	BFP	—	Ratzlaff
		Edmund Sauerland trial, presidency of the Council of the EU, Baltish Centennial celebrations.

Living former Prime Ministers

Name	Term	Date of birth	Age
Johannes Pracht	1992-1993	2 August 1952	66
Martin Lasch	1993-1994/1999-2002	22 April 1960	58
Andreas Taschner	1994-1995	11 January 1940	79
Andreas Scheller	1995-1999	16 January 1958	61
Samuel Kallmann	2002-2003	2 October 1948	70
Einar Reitter	2003-2005	9 December 1961	57
Andreas Annen	2005-2014	1 October 1956	62
David Romberg	2014-2016	26 September 1979	39

See also

Deputy Prime Minister of Baltia
President of Baltia
Government of Baltia
Leader of the Opposition