Staatsrat
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The Staatsrat (Council of State) was in the German Democratic Republic the formally highest collective body, which was created with law over the formation of the Council of State from 12 September 1960 as follow-up organ of the abolished office of the president of the GDR after the death of Wilhelm Pieck.
Thus the structure of state of the GDR was continued to adapt to the Soviet model. The Council of State was according to article 66 FF. of the constitution of the German Democratic Republic of 1968 the formal head of state of the German Democratic Republic, contrary to the subordinate highest state States of, the chairman of the Council of Ministers as a boss of the government of the GDR and the president of the Volkskammer as a parliament boss. First Council of State chairman was Walter Ulbricht.
Actually the function of the head of state was exercised alone by the chairman of the Council of State, the other members of the Council of State had in practice hardly influence; from diplomatic minutes a collective organ was anyway problematic as a head of state. The Council of State consisted beside the chairman and its deputies of 16 members and a secretary. Secretary of the Council of State was until 1971 Otto Gotsche. The members of the Council of State were selected in each case for five years by the Volkskammer. In the course of the deprivation of power the Council of State created by it lost Ulbrichts as consulting and a decision-making body starting from 1970 strongly at influence, which manifested itself in the constitutional amendment of 1974. To its tasks belonged in accordance with article 66-75 of the constitution of the GDR is the advertisement from elections to the Volkskammer and the other representative governments, the appointment of the members of the national defence council, the practice of the amnesty and power of pardon, obligatory the interpretation and announcing of laws, the ratification of international treaties, the accreditation of diplomatic representatives and the award of national medals and honors.
The Council of State took over also honour sponsorships for child-rich families. Important practical meaning had formally regulated the secretariat of the Council of State with about 200 coworkers as an editor of the inputs of citizens (in the GDR jargon Council of State inputs so mentioned), in the input decree from 27 February 1961. Authorities and enterprises were obligated to the information and co-operation. Resolutions of the Council of State took place by decree with legal power. Last Council of State chairmen of the GDR was during the Wendezeit 1989/1990 Manfred Gerlach. Deputy Council of State chairmen were in each case all chairmen of the party of the GDR coalitions. On 5 April 1990 the Council of State was abolished with the constituent meeting of the first freely selected people chamber by a constitutional amendment. Since for the foreseeable short transitional phase up to the combination with the Federal Republic of Germany the office of the president was not any longer introduced, the presidency of the Volkskammer with the powers of the Council of State became in accordance with the new article 75a of the GDR condition and the president of the Volkskammer with the powers of the Council of State chairman entrusts. Sabine Bergmann-Pohl was thereby as a people chamber president from 5 April to 2 October 1990 a last head of state of the GDR. Similar highest collective of Councils of State gave Polish People's Republic it in the Soviet Union, in Romania and in Yugoslavia.
