Germany.info : Elections 2005

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The Federal System

The Bundestag

Democracy
Leaders
Organization
Government
Cabinet
Voters

Democracy

The Federal Republic of Germany is a parliamentary democracy. Germany’s constitution, the Basic Law, states that sovereignty rests with the people. German voters elect the members of one house of parliament, the Bundestag, which in turn elects the head of government, the Federal Chancellor. Both Germany and the US have systems of checks and balances to prevent concentration of power in the central government, an individual or a single group, but they elect their representatives in very different ways. In the US, the members of both houses of Congress are elected by the people.

In Germany, the members of one house of parliament, the Bundestag, are directly and indirectly elected. The other house, the Bundesrat, is composed of delegates of the state governments. The head of state, Federal President, is elected by a federal convention every five years. He or she may only be re-elected once.

The official office and home of the Chancellor in Berlin.

Leaders

Unlike the US system, in which the president serves as both head of state and head of government, the two functions are separated in the German system. The President performs largely ceremonial functions and represents the nation from above the partisan fray. He or she signs laws into power and has the right to “veto” legislation, though this power is rarely used. The Chancellor is the head of government and, as such, the political leader of the country.

Organization

Germany, like the US, is a federation that delegates certain powers to the federal government but allocates most to the states. Each of the 16 federal states (Länder) has its own parliament, directly elected by its inhabitants, and its own government, the leader of which is elected by members of the state parliament.

Government

In Germany, the Bundestag elects the Chancellor, who in turn forms the government (cabinet). If no single party wins a majority, two or more parties form a coalition, which elects the Chancellor. Only once, from 1957 to 1961, has one party held an absolute majority in parliament. Unlike the US structure, where the president’s party does not necessarily hold majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate, a German Chancellor must have a majority in the Bundestag to govern. The party or parties not participating in the government constitute the parliamentary opposition. Generally, new legislation originates in the Chancellor’s cabinet of federal ministers and is submitted to parliament for approval. Bills may also be introduced by members of the Bundestag or the Bundesrat.

Cabinet

The federal government consists of the following ministries: Foreign Affairs; Defense; Interior; Justice; Finance; Education and Research; Economics and Technology; Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety; Health, Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture; Labor and Social Affairs; Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth; Transportation, Construction and Housing; and Economic Cooperation and Development. The Basic Law stipulates that federal ministers conduct the affairs of their ministries autonomously and with full responsibility, within the guidelines set by the Chancellor.

In contrast to their American counterparts, the members of Germany’s federal cabinet are overwhelmingly drawn from the Bundestag and retain their parliamentary seats while serving as ministers.

The Voters

Voter turnout in Germany is generally high compared with the US (in 1998, 82.2% of eligible German voters went to the polls). Every German citizen 18 years of age or older is eligible to vote. Germans living abroad may also vote by absentee ballot. They can order their ballots from any German diplomatic or consular mission. In Germany, certificates of registration are automatically sent to voters by the Board of Elections in accordance with lists maintained by local census bureaus. These lists are updated regularly to include every resident of each district. No further registration or statement of party affiliation is required.