The Government of Germany consists of three significant wings, the legislature, the executive and the judiciary represented by the Federal Parliament, the Federal Government and the Federal Constitutional Court, respectively.
Germany GovernmentThe President is the formal executive head of the State elected for a term of five years. He appoints the Federal Chancellor (Prime Minister) and his Cabinet. The Chancellor is the real head of the Government elected by a majority vote of the Bundestag. He is responsible for the initiation and implementation of the government policy. He can be removed from office only by an absolute majority of the Bundestag coupled with an assured majority for the election of another candidate to the post.
German ParliamentThe German Parliament has the Bundestag as its Lower House (Federal Diet) and the Bundesrat as the Upper House (Federal Council). The Lower House or the Bundestag is the supreme democratic organ of the country. Since 1999, the Bundestag has had its seat at the Reichstag Building in Berlin. The Bundestag is elected by the people every 4 years through "general, direct, free, equal and secret elections", as stated in the Basic Law or the German Constitution. All citizens above the age of 18 are eligible to cast their vote. The most significant tasks performed by the Bundestag are the adoption of the legislative process, scrutiny of the government and its work, deciding on the federal budget and deployment of the Bundeswehr (Federal Armed Forces) outside Germany and the election of the German Federal Chancellor. The German Bundestag is the most important legislative organ as it is entitled to legislate on all laws that fall within the sphere of authority of the German Federation. The legislative process however, also requires the participation of the Bundesrat. The Bundesrat is a representative of the interests of the state governments. The parliament also sets up committees for various purposes to help in the discharge of legislative functions.
Procedure of Elections and ResultsHalf of the Members of the German Bundestag are directly elected from amongst Germany’s 299 constituencies and the other half from the parties’ Land lists. Thus, each voter casts two votes, the first to elect their local representatives to the Parliament and the second for a party list. It is this second vote that decides the relative strength of the party in the Bundestag. About 598 Members of the German Parliament are elected in this way and these seats are distributed among the parties that have gained more than five percent of the second votes or at least three direct mandates. When the total number of mandates achieved by a party has been realised, they are distributed between the Land lists. Here the distribution of seats between the parties in each Land is proportional to the second vote results.
If a party gets more direct mandates in a Land than it is entitled to, according to the results of the second vote, then “overhang mandates” also get a seat in the Bundestag, increasing the number of Parliamentarians above 598.
The results of the Bundestag elections are quite decisive as they determine the relative strength of the parties. The party which, either singly or in alliance with other parties has the backing of a majority of members gets a chance to form the government.
PresidiumThe President and Vice-Presidents of the German Bundestag collectively constitute its Presidium. They however, cannot be dismissed from office by a decision of the Bundestag. Members of the Presidium meet regularly each week when the Bundestag is having its sessions to discuss questions relevant to the management of the Parliament. The matters in which it is involved include the personnel decisions of the Administration of the German Bundestag and the conclusion of important contracts. Public relation issues are also discussed in the Presidium.
German Constitution/ The Basic LawThe Constitution of The Federal Republic of Germany is derived from the Basic Law (Grundgesetz) which came into effect on May 23, 1949 after the consent of the USA, the UK and France (who had military control over the region) to establish the Federal Republic (West Germany). It lays down the fundamental structure of the government and the value system it should follow. It clearly defines the principles according to which the government is expected to function. Apart from other important details, it describes the process and pattern of election to the supreme legislative organ, the Bundestag. It is the source of authority and the basic guiding philosophy to all those who take upon the reigns of government. It is also a stamp of justification of the freedom and rights of the German citizens.
German Parliamentary GroupsThe German Bundestag has five major parliamentary groups. The alliance of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), which have been together since 1949, is the largest and the strongest parliamentary group in the Bundestag. It is closely followed by the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).The Free Democratic Party (FDP) parliamentary group and the Left Party parliamentary group are the other significant ones. From 1998 to 2005, Alliance 90/The Green Party has helped to govern the country in a coalition with the Social Democrats with Gerhard Schröder as Chancellor. It constitutes the smallest group in the 16th Bundestag.
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