First Secretaries of regional party organisations held significant power in their respective regions, with some First Secretaries such as Hans-Joachim Böhme or Hans Albrecht being described as despotic, sometimes dictatorial. First Secretaries were always full members of the Central Committee and sometimes even candidate or full members (always the First Secretary in East Berlin) of the Politburo. First Secretaries of Bezirke that had a significant border with West Germany usually also served on the National Defence Council.
first secretaries of regional party organisations held significant power in their respective regions with some first secretaries such as hans-joachim böhme or hans albrecht being described as despotic sometimes dictatorial first secretaries were always full members of the central committee and sometimes even candidate or full members (always the first secretary in east berlin) of the politburo first secretaries of bezirke that had a significant border with west germany usually also served on the national defence council