Appendix “A”
[Translation]
Comments of the Ministers-President Conference Regarding Document I
restricted
[
Koblenz
, July 10, 1948.]
Subject: Constituent Assembly
- 1.
- The Ministers-President will assume the powers delegated to them on 1 July 1948 by the Military Governors of the American, British and French Zones.
- 2.
- The convening of a German National Assembly and the preparation of a German constitution shall be postponed until a solution for all of Germany is possible and until German sovereignty has been sufficiently restored.
- 3.
- The Ministers-President will recommend to the Landtage of the three Zones that they elect a
representative body (Parliamentary Council) which will have the task
of:
- a)
- Drafting a basic law for the uniform administration of the Occupation Zones of the Western Powers;
- b)
- Enacting an electoral law for a popular representation based upon general and direct elections.
The participation of the Land governments in the deliberations of the Parliamentary Council must be assured.
[Page 389]The representation shall be formed in accordance with the figures proposed in Document No. I and shall convene not later than 1 September 1948. Each Land shall put up at least one delegate; for a remaining fraction of at least 200,000 votes a further delegate shall be appointed.
- 4.
- The elections for the popular representation shall be carried out during the year 1948.
- 5.
- The basic law must provide, in addition to a popular representation elected directly by the people, for Laender representation to take part in Legislation.
- 6.
- As soon as the delegates elected by the Landtage have accomplished their task (para 2), the Ministers-President, after consultation with the Landtage, will submit the basic law, with their comments, to the Military Governors and ask them to authorize the Ministers-President to promulgate the law.
- 7.
- The representative body shall fulfil all functions to which a democratically elected parliament is entitled.
- 8.
- The common executive organ envisaged for the occupation area of the Western Powers shall be appointed under the provisions of the basic law.