G
Germany:
IInstitutions
II. The Basic Law
II. Legislature
A Bundestag
A.
d
andd Bundesrat
d
III. Executive
A. Chancellor, Cabinet
and President
IV. Länder Governments
V Judiciary
V.
The ‘Basic
‘
Law’’ (Grundgesetz)
„
Basic Rights and Civil Liberties
{
„
Federalism
{
„
Länder and division of powers
Governmental Stability
{
{
„
Constitutional Court & Judicial Review
Constructive Vote of No Confidence
Five Percent Rule
Executive Authority
Institutions of the Federal Republic
I.I Legislature
L l
„
A. Bundestagg (Federal
(
Diet))
{
{
{
„
B. Bundesrat (Federal Council)
{
{
„
Elected every four years; 614 members currently
(299 directly elected)
T B ll system ((withh 5% hurdle
Two-Ballot
h dl
and ‘overhang seats’)
Coalition governments
Appointed by state governments
69 members based on population
Legislation
g
must go
g through
g both chambers,,
but Bundestag superior
Germany’s’
G
Two-Ballot
Elections
2005 Bundestag Election Results
P
Procedures
d
in
i the
th B
Bundestag
d t
„
Two main functions:
{
{
„
L l off independence
Level
d
d
bbetween US and
d UK
{
„
Elect the Chancellor/provide government
Pass legislation
Coalitions, Organization, Legislation
L l t Process
Legislative
P
{
(1) Pre-parliamentary Stage ; (2) First
Parliamentary Stage (Bundesrat); (3) Second
Parliamentary Stage (Bundestag)
Executive -- Chancellor
„
„
„
„
Leader of the majority in Bundestag
Directs government policy
Primary power is control over cabinet,
cabinet however:
{ Need to Satisfy Party Factions
{ ((“G
Grandd”)) Coalitions
C l
{ No direct control over
ministries or Länder
“Chancellor Democracy”
Chancellor Angela Merkel
E
Executive
-- President
P d
„
„
„
Every five
E
fi years bby a Federal
F d lA
Assembly
bl
of all Bundestag and state legislators
Powers largely ceremonial
German President
Horst Köhler
Role of President:
{
{
Represent the “conscience” of
the nation
Mediator during parliamentary
divisions and crises
The Länder
Government
„
„
‘Reserved
Reserved Powers
Powers’ -education, police, justice, etc
(55% of spending)
Vary greatly in size and
wealth
{ North
N h Rh
Rhine-Westphalia
W
h l
= 18 million; Hamburg =
1.6 million
{ Hamburg = 189.1 of EU25
average; Thuringia = 73.1
Th Länder
The
L d Government
„
„
„
„
„
„
East-West
E
t W t economic
i divide
di id
Constitution requires “unity of living standard”
Coalition governments (different from national)
Unicameral legislatures
g
with electoral system
y
like Bundestag
Cabinet headed by a Minster-President (Land
equivalent of Chancellor)
Stagg r d elections
Staggered
l ctio s
J d
Judiciary
„
Constitutional Court with 16 members
{
{
{
„
Half elected by Bundestag, half by Bundesrat
Divided into two chambers (“Senates”)
One deals more with civil liberties, the other with federalintergovernmental
Charged with defending Basic Law and
protecting democracy
{
{
Bans on communists in 1950s
neo-Nazi groups today