Basic Facts about Germany

Political System

The political structures of the Federal Republic of Germany are governed by the 1949 Basic Law (Grundgesetz) which strives to balance the power of the federal government, the German states and the country's executive, judiciary and legislative branches.

The head of state is the Federal President, currently Christian Wulff, who represents Germany, promulgates laws passed by parliament, suggests a candidate for chancellor and decides on certain issues, like pardons and dissolving the parliament. The Federal Cabinet, consisting of a chancellor (Dr. Angela Merkel) and other ministers, makes suggestions for new laws and signs them once they've been passed by the Bundestag (and, if necessary, the Bundesrat).

The German legislative branch consists of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat. The Bundestag is a body of representatives elected to the federal parliament which decides on legislation, elects the chancellor, participates in the Federal Convention to elect the Federal President and decides on budget matters and deployments of the federal armed forces abroad. The Bundesrat's goal is to provide a check on the national government's powers by representing the interests of the federal states - it can formally object to laws passed by the Bundestag, vote on some Bundestag proposals or even suggest its own legislation. The Bundesrat is comprised of representatives of each of the 16 state governments.

The judiciary branch, composed of the 16 judges in the Federal Constitutional Court, is elected by both Bundestag and Bundesrat (8 judges each) for a term of 12 years. The Federal Constitutional Court decides whether legislation and other actions of the federal government comply with the German ''Basic Law.'' It is the highest court of law and its decisions are binding for all other courts in Germany.

More background information on Germany and its political and economic systems is available from Germany Trade and Invest and on the website ''Facts about Germany''.