FOCUS 4 – Civics and Government Handout 4.4.

1 – Government Structure in Germany HANDOUT

HANDOUT 4.4.1 GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE IN GERMANY

The most important German political institutions are: may enter an objection to a law passed by the Bundestag, but
its objection may be overridden by a majority of Bundestag
• the Bundestag – The lower house of the German federal
members. If the Bundestag and the Bundesrat fail to agree, the
parliament
Joint Committee – which consists of members of both houses
• the Bundesrat – The upper house of the German federal – is asked to consider the matter. In most cases this committee
parliament whose members represent the sixteen federal states has managed to work out a compromise. In a case where no
compromise is reached, the legislation is set aside. The balance
• the Bundesregierung – The federal administration, consisting
of political forces in the Bundesrat changes if the majority
of the Chancellor and her cabinet, usually elected from the
party in a federal state loses the next state election. Therefore
Bundestag
the case can arise where the majority party in the Bundestag
• the Bundespräsident – The head of state, (the Federal President) and the Bundesrat are different. The President of the Bundesrat
representing Germany as a whole –separate from actual politics stands in for the Federal President when he is absent.
or the running of the government.

THE BUNDESPRÄSIDENT
THE BUNDESTAG
• The Federal President is the head of state. He represents
• The Bundestag is elected by the people every four years. The Germany in international affairs, concluding treaties with other
Bundespräsident nominates a candidate for the position of countries, receiving the credentials of foreign ambassadors and
Chancellor, who is then elected by the Bundestag (always the envoys, and cultivating the image of Germany in the rest of the
head of the ruling party or coalition). Any representative in world. He formally appoints and dismisses federal civil servants,
the Bundestag or Bundesrat, or (as is most often the case) the federal judges, and officers of the federal Armed Forces. His
Bundesregierung (executive branch or administration) may freedom of decision is limited since his directives and orders
propose legislation, which is then debated in the Bundestag require the countersignature of the Federal Chancellor or
(first and second reading). Most of the real work of reviewing the appropriate Federal Minister. The political powers of the
and discussing legislation is done in the standing committees Federal President are described in the Basic Law (constitution).
(consisting of 13–33 members from different parties). When a The idea of the drafters of the Basic Law was to have a head
vote is taken in the full session of the Bundestag, each member of state with severely limited powers, to avoid the mistakes of
votes according to his/her conscience. Legislation that affects the past. The Federal President has no direct influence on other
the federal states must be approved also by the Bundesrat. The constitutional bodies. He remains apart from party politics. A
President of the Bundestag ranks second in the hierarchy after law comes into effect when it is signed by the Federal President.
the Bundespräsident. The Federal President is not directly elected by the people. He
is elected by a majority vote of a special assembly called the
Bundesversammlung, which meets every five years just for this
THE BUNDESRAT purpose and consists of all members of the Bundestag and an
equal number of representatives of the state legislatures. The
• The Bundesrat is the upper chamber of the parliament. It
Federal President serves for five years.
represents the federal states. Its membership is not elected by
direct national vote, but delegated by the state governments.
Depending on its population, each state sends three to six THE BUNDESREGIERUNG
representatives to the Bundesrat. The Bundesrat consists of
69 members. The president of the Bundesrat, who acts as the The German Federal Government, the “Cabinet”, is made up of the
federal president’s deputy, is one of the prime ministers of Federal Chancellor and the Federal Ministers. The Chancellor pre-
the federal states (or the mayors of the city-states of Berlin, sides over the Federal Cabinet. She selects the ministers and makes
Hamburg, and Bremen), who serves in this capacity in rotation, proposals that are binding on the Federal President for their ap-
holding the office for one year. Therefore, the prime minister pointment or dismissal. The Chancellor also decides the number of
of any one state becomes President of the Bundesrat once ministers and their portfolios. She lays down the government policy
every 16 years. The Bundesrat has an important function in guidelines. In accordance with these guidelines the Federal Minis-
the legislative process. The Bundesrat’s consent is required for ters manage their portfolios independently and on their own re-
constitutional amendments and for federal legislation which sponsibility. In the course of day-to-day politics, the Chancellor must
directly affects state affairs. On other issues, the Bundesrat also take into account agreements with partners in the government

GERMANY IN FOCUS A Transatlantic Outreach Program Instructional text for secondary educators
FOCUS 4 – Civics and Government Handout 4.4.1 – Government Structure in Germany HANDOUT

coalition. Not without reason is Germany’s system of government

termed a “chancellorship democracy.” The Federal Chancellor is the
only cabinet member elected by parliament, and she alone is an-
swerable to it.

³ Sources:
Der Spiegel. (2009). A Quick Guide to Germany’s Political Parties.
Retrieved September 2012 from http://www.spiegel.de/
international/germany/where-dothey-stand-a-quick-guide-
to-germany-s-political-parties-a-651388.html.
Wikipedia. (n.d.). List of political parties in Germany. Retrieved
January 2012 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_
political_parti.

GERMANY IN FOCUS A Transatlantic Outreach Program Instructional text for secondary educators