The document provides information about the cabinet and parliament of Germany. It discusses the Bundeskabinett (Cabinet of Germany), which is the chief executive body consisting of the Chancellor and cabinet ministers. It also outlines the roles and responsibilities of the Bundestag (German parliament), including its legislative functions, election of the Chancellor, and permanent committees. Additionally, it summarizes the structure and role of the Federal Constitutional Court in Germany.

1. THE CABINET
AND
THE BUNDESTAG
PREPARED BY
JOHN VER SOSAS

2. BUNDESKABINETT
(Cabinet of Germany)
O It is the chief Executive body of the
Federal Republic of Germany.
O It consists of the Chancellor and the
Cabinet Ministers.
O It contrast to the system under the Weimar
Republic, the Bundestag may both only
move a constructive vote of no-confidence
and can also choose to dismiss the entire
cabinet and not simply individual
ministers.

3. BUNDESKABINETT
(Cabinet of Germany)
O Fifteen Cabinet Ministers and the Chancellor
together make up the Federal Cabinet.
FINANCE
DEFENSE
TRANSPORT AND
DIGITAL
INFRASTRUCTURE
ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND
DEVELOPMENT
CHANCELLOR
FAMILY AFFAIRS,
SENIOR CITIZENS,
WOMEN AND YOUTH
FOOD AND
AGRICULTURE
ENVIRONMENT
HEAD OF FEDERAL CHANCELLERY
AND SPECIAL TASK
EDUCATION AND
RESEARCH
HEALTH
FOREIGN AFFAIRS INTERIOR
JUSTICE AND
CONSUMER
PROTECTION
ECONOMIC
AFFAIRS

4. NOMINATION
O The Chancellor is elected by the federal
parliament (Bundestag) after being
proposed by the President.
O Following the election, the Chancellor is
appointed by the President. The ministers
are appointed (and dismissed) by the
President upon proposal of the
Chancellor.
O Eventually, before taking office, the
Chancellor and ministers swear an oath in
front of the parliament.

5. FUNCTIONING
O The Chancellor is responsible for guiding the cabinet and
deciding its political direction (Richtlinienkompetenz).
O According to the principle of departmentalization
(Ressortprinzip), the cabinet ministers are free to carry out
their duties independently within the boundaries set by the
Chancellor's political directives.
O The Chancellor also decides the scope of each minister's
duties. If two ministers disagree on a particular point, the
cabinet resolves the conflict by a majority vote
(Kollegialprinzip or principle of deference).
O The Chancellor is in charge of the government's
administrative affairs, which are usually delegated to
the head of the Chancellery.

6. BUNDESTAG
O German, from ”Bund” federation and
tag, from ”tagen” to meet.
O As Germany’s parliament, the German
Bundestag stands at the centre of the country’s
political life and is its supreme democratic organ
of state.
O Since 1999, It has had its seat at the Reichstag
Building in Berlin.

7. PRESIDIUM OF THE GERMAN
BUNDESTAG
O The President and Vice-Presidents of the German
Bundestag constitute its Presidium, which is elected for the
duration of the electoral term.
O The members of the Presidium cannot be dismissed from
office by a decision of the Bundestag.
O The Presidium meets regularly each week when the
Bundestag is sitting to deliberate on questions relevant to
the management of 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 relations issues are also
discussed in the Presidium.
O Each year, the President of the
German Bundestag determines the level of public funding
allocated to the parties. This executive duty is made
incumbent upon him or her by the Act on Political Parties.

8. FUNCTION AND ROLE OF THE
BUNDESTAG
O The German Bundestag is
elected by the German
people and is the forum
where differing opinions
about the policies the
country should be pursuing
are formulated and
discussed.
O The most important tasks
performed by the
Bundestag are the
legislative process and the
parliamentary scrutiny of
the government and its
work.

9. FUNCTION AND ROLE OF THE
BUNDESTAG
O The Members of the
German Bundestag also
decide on the federal
budget and deployments of
the Bundeswehr (Federal
Armed Forces) outside
Germany.
O Another important function
performed by the
Bundestag is the election of
the German Federal
Chancellor.

10. THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS
O In Germany, the legislative process is a task for
the country’s parliaments. The Bundestag is
therefore the most important organ of the
legislative branch in the German Federation.
O Since, under Germany’s federal system,
the Länder hold a considerable share of the
powers of the state, the Bundesrat, the organ
through which the Länder participate in the
legislation and administration of the Federation,
is also involved in the legislative process.

11. PRINCIPLE OF THE DIVISON
OF POWERS
O The division of powers is one of the principles of
Germany’s democracy and is anchored in the
Basic Law. The powers of the state are divided
between several branches, the legislative, the
executive and the judiciary, which are supposed
to monitor one another and limit the power of the
state.
O In line with the principle of the division of powers,
the Bundestag is the highest organ of the
legislative in Germany. Alongside it stand the
Federal Government, representing the executive,
and the federal and Land courts, representing the
judiciary.

12. ELECTION OF THE FEDERAL CHANCELLOR
No Federal Chancellor without a
majority in Parliament.
1. One of the first tasks
performed by the Bundestag
in each electoral term is the
election of the Federal
Chancellor. A candidate is
proposed by the Federal
President, as provided for by
the Basic Law. The election is
then held exclusively among
the Members of the German
Bundestag, who vote in a
secret ballot without any prior
debate. The candidate
requires an absolute majority
in Parliament. This means that
at the beginning of the 17th
electoral term the new Federal
Chancellor needed the votes
of at least 312 of its Members.

13. ELECTION OF THE FEDERAL CHANCELLOR
No Federal Chancellor without a
majority in Parliament.
2. Following his or her election, the
successful candidate is appointed
by the Federal President and sworn
in before the Bundestag. He or she
is now able to propose his or her
federal ministers.
3. Furthermore, it is only possible for
the Federal Chancellor to be voted
out of office by Parliament - by
means of what is known as a
constructive vote of no confidence.
At the same time, it must elect a
successor by the majority of its
Members, requesting that the
Federal President dismiss the
current Federal Chancellor and
appoint the newly elected candidate.
The Federal President must comply
with this request.

14. ELECTION OF THE FEDERAL PRESIDENT
The Federal President and the Federal Convention
O The Federal Convention is the largest parliamentary
convention in the Federal Republic of Germany. Its
sole function is to elect the Federal President.
O The Convention usually assembles only every five
years in the Reichstag Building, the exception being if
the Federal President’s term of office ends
prematurely.
O The Federal Convention is convened by the President
of the Bundestag, who determines its venue and date,
and is also responsible for the preparation and holding
of the Convention and for follow-up activities.
O The Basic Law (the German constitution) stipulates
that the Federal Convention must meet 30 days before
the end of the Federal President’s term of office, at the
latest.

15. Members of the Bundestag and representatives of
the Länder
O The Federal Convention consists of all Members of
the Bundestag and an equal number of members elected by
the parliaments of the Länder.
O The number of representatives which the
individual Länder may send to the Federal Convention is
calculated based on the population of each Land.
O Once the venue and date of the Federal Convention and the
number of its members have been announced, the
representatives of the Länder are elected by
the Landparliaments in line with the principles of
proportional representation. They are usually members of
the parliaments of the Länder, but local politicians and
figures from other areas of public life may also be elected.
ELECTION OF THE FEDERAL PRESIDENT

16. Nomination and conduct of the election
O The Federal President is elected by secret ballot
without any prior debate.
O In theory, any German who is at least forty years
old is eligible for election. Candidates may be
proposed by any member of the Federal
Convention.
O If none of the candidates receives an absolute
majority, i.e. more than half the votes, in the first
and second ballots, a third ballot is held. In this
case, a relative majority is sufficient: whoever
receives the most votes wins. New candidates can
also be nominated for the second and third ballots.
ELECTION OF THE FEDERAL PRESIDENT

17. Taking up office
O The President of the Bundestag announces the result of the
count and asks the person elected whether he or she accepts
his or her election. Following a short speech by the president
elect, the President of the Bundestag declares the Federal
Convention to be ended. It has fulfilled its function.
O The future Federal President takes up office as soon as the
term of office of his or her predecessor has expired.
O A newly elected Federal President takes the following oath
upon taking up office: "I swear that I will dedicate my efforts to
the well-being of the German people, promote their welfare,
protect them from harm, uphold and defend the Basic Law
and the laws of the Federation, perform my duties
conscientiously, and do justice to all. So help me God." The
oath can also be taken without religious affirmation.
ELECTION OF THE FEDERAL PRESIDENT

18. PERMANENT COMMITTEES
O A large proportion of the work done in Parliament
goes on in the permanent committees, each of
which is formed by a decision of the Bundestag for
the duration of the whole electoral term.
O The permanent committees are quite distinct from
other bodies of the Bundestag with which they are
sometimes confused, such as the Mediation
Committee, the Joint Committee and committees
of inquiry. In the 18th electoral term, the Bundestag
has set up 23 permanent committees. They are
made up of Members from the various
parliamentary groups in line with their relative
strengths in Parliament.

19. PERMANENT COMMITTEES
O A committee is a forum in which Members are
able to concentrate on a single, specialized
area of policy. They deliberate on all bills that
will have an impact in this field before any
decision is taken and attempt to find a
compromise at the committee stage that is
capable of commanding majority support in
the plenary.
O The committees obtain information from the
government and expert witnesses in order to
learn more about the background to the
issues on which they have to deliberate.

20. THE CONSTITUTIONAL
COURT

21. FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL COURT
AND CONSTITUTIONAL ORGAN
O It is both a court and a constitutional organ. It
consists of two Senates, each of them with eight
Justices.
O The President and the Vice-President are the
chairpersons of the Senates. Each Senate has its
own, precisely defined competences, but always
decides as “the Federal Constitutional Court”.
Which of the two Senates is competent to decide
follows from the Federal Constitutional Court Act
and a decision taken by the Plenary –that is, a
decision taken jointly by all the 16 Justices. In rare
cases, the Plenary decides a case itself; this is
mandated if one Senate intends to deviate from
the other Senate’s interpretation of the law.

22. CONSTITUTIONAL ORGAN
O As a Constitutional Organ, Federal
Constitutional Court is not subject to the
administrative supervision of a ministry.
The Plenary decides on basic
organizational issues; the Budget and
Staff Committee, which is appointed by
the Plenary, prepares the draft budget of
approximately EUR 28 million per year.
The President heads the administration of
the Court and represents it externally.

23. FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL COURT
AND CONSTITUTIONAL ORGAN
O Each Justice is assisted by four research
assistants (or “clerks”) who have prior work
experience in regular courts, public
authorities, law firms or universities. The
Court also has a library of about 400,000
books, journals, and data bases. Moreover,
the high workload of the Court would be
impossible to manage without
the Rechtspfleger (senior judicial officers),
and the staff working in the registries, the
Justices’ outer offices, the Court Office, the
administration, the library, and IT. Overall,
about 260 people ensure that the Federal
Constitutional Court can fulfil its duties.

24. FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL
COURT STRUCTURE
O The Court consists of two Senates, each of them with eight
members. Currently, the Vice-President presides over the First
Senate, the President over the Second Senate. Both Senates
maintain several Chambers, each of them with three members. Each
of the 16 Justices is assisted by four research assistants (or “clerks”)
who have prior work experience in regular courts, public authorities,
law firms or universities.
O Half of the 16 members of the Federal Constitutional Court are
elected by the Bundestag, and half by the Bundesrat.
O Bundestag and Bundesrat also take turns in determining the
President and Vice-President of the Court. A two-thirds majority is
required in both electoral bodies. This procedure is intended to
ensure that the composition of the Senates is well-balanced.

25. FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL
COURT STRUCTURE
O At least three members of each Senate must
be elected from the Supreme Federal Courts
(Federal Court of Justice, Federal
Administrative Court, Federal Finance Court,
Federal Labor Court and Federal Social
Court), in order to allow the Federal
Constitutional Court’s decisions to profit from
their particular judicial experience. Anyone
who is at least 40 years old and qualified to
hold judicial office pursuant to the German
Judiciary Act is eligible for election. The
Justices are elected to serve a twelve-year
term; retirement age is 68. To ensure their
independence, there is no re-election.

26. RELATIONS TO OTHER
COURTS
O The Federal Constitutional Court has always
seen itself as part of the international legal
order and the global community of
constitutional courts. It is in regular
professional contact with national and
international courts. There is ample
opportunity for such exchange when the
members of the Federal Constitutional Court
visit their counterparts within and outside
Europe and receive foreign delegations in
Karlsruhe.

27. RELATIONS TO OTHER
COURTS
O The Federal Constitutional Court participates
in many international networks. It was one of
the initiators both of the Conference of
European Constitutional Courts, which has
regularly taken place since 1972, and of the
meetings with the German-language
constitutional courts (Austria, Switzerland, and
Liechtenstein), the European Court of Human
Rights and the Court of Justice of the
European Union, which have been held since
2006.

28. POLITICAL PARTIES IN
GERMANY

29. STATE PARLIAMENT
REPRESENTED PARTIES
O Free Voters (Freie Wähler, FW)
O Pirate Party Germany (Piratenpartei Deutschland,
PIRATEN)
O National Democratic Party of Germany - The People’s
Union (Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands –
Die Volksunion, NPD)
O South Schleswig Voter Federation (Südschleswigscher
Wählerverband , SSW)
O Citizens in Rage (Bürger in Wut, BIW)
O German Communist Party (Deutsche Kommunistische
Partei, DKP)

30. CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC
UNION OF GERMANY
O Christian democratic and
conservative party
O Founded in 1945 and currently
the largest party ahead of the
Social Democratic Party of
Germany
O Regarded as part of the centre-
right of the German political
spectrum
O Forms the CDU/CSU grouping
(also known as the Union)
together with its sister party, the
Christian Social Union of Bavaria,
in the Bundestag
O Member of the European
People’s Party (EPP) and sits in
the EPP Group in the European
Parliament

31. CHRISTIAN SOLCIAL UNION
IN BAVARIA
O Christian Democratic and
Conservative Party
O Founded in 1945
O Operates only in Bavaria while its
sister party, the Christian
Democratic Union, operates in the
other 15 states
O The smallest of the six parties
represented in the Bundestag, it
only has 45 seats
O Founded as a continuation of the
Weimar-era Catholic Bavarian
People’s Party
O Currently governs at federal level
with both its sister Christian
Democratic Union and Free
Democratic Party

32. SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC
PARTY OF GERMANY
O Social-democratic liberal party
O Second largest party behind the
Christian Democratic Union and
the oldest parliament
represented party
O Governed at federal level in
grand coalition with the Christian
Democratic Union and Christian
Social Union between 2005 and
2009
O Defeated in the federal election
of 2009 with its share of votes
having decreased from 34.2% to
23%, it is currently the largest
Bundestag represented
opposition party
O Full member of the Party of
European Socialists and Socialist
International

33. FREE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
O Centre-right classical liberal party
O Founded on 11 December 1948
O Currently serves as junior
coalition partner to the Union
(Christian Democratic Union and
Christian Social Union) and is the
third largest Bundestag
represented party with 93
members
O Has held the balance of power in
the Bundestag for most of the
Federal Republic’ history has
been in federal government
longer than any other party as
junior coalition partner to either
the CDU/CSU (1949-56; 1961-
66; 1982-88; since 2009) or the
Social Democratic Party (1969-
82)

34. THE LEFT
O Democratic socialist party and
most left-wing Bundestag
represented party
O Founded on 16 June 2007 as
merger of the Party of Democratic
Socialism- successor of the
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
(the ruling party of the former East
Germany) and Electoral Alternative
for Labour and Social Justice
(WASG)
O Member of the Party of the
European Left and largest party in
the European United Left-Nordic
Green Left group in the European
Parliament internationally

35. ALLIANCE ’90/ THE GREENS
O Green and centre-left
party
O Founded in 1980 as The
Greens and 1993 with
merger of the Greens
and Alliance 90
O Won 10.7% of the votes
in 2009 federal elections
O With 68 out of 622 seats
in the Bundestag , it is
the second smallest
Bundestag represented
party

36. FREE VOTERS
O Received 10.2% of the
vote in 2008 Bavaria
state election and
gained first 20 seats in
the Landtag.

37. PIRATE PARTY GERMANY
O Civil libertarian and social
liberal Party based on model of
Swedish Piratpartiet
O Founded on 10 September
2006
O Supports preservation of
current civil rights in telephony
and on the Internet; particularly
opposes European data
retention policies and
Germany’s new Internet
censorship law Zugangsersch-
werungsgesetz
O Favors civil right to information
privacy and copyright,
education, and genetic patents

38. NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF
GERMANY- THE PEOPLE’S UNION
O Far right nationalist party
O Founded on 28 November 1964 as
successor to the German Reich
Party
O Merged with far right German
People’s Union on 1 January 2011
, which added the ‘The People’s
Union’ to the party name
O Often described as a neo-Nazi
organization and “the most
significant neo-Nazi party to
emerge after 1945”
O Currently represented in only two
of Germany’s sixteen state
parliaments, it has no seats at
federal level

39. SOUTH SCHLESWIG VOTER
FEDERATION
O Regional social liberal and
ethnic minority interests party;
represents the Danish and
Frisian minorities
O Founded in 1948
O Does not identify itself with left-
right scale, but bases its policies
on Scandinavian countries
O Represented in the diet
(Landtag) of Schleswig-Holstein
and several regional and
municipal courts
O In most recent Schleswig-
Holstein election of 2009, it
gained 4.3% of the vote and
won four seats

40. CITIZENS IN RAGE
O Right-wing populist voter’s
association
O Founded in March 2004 as
successor to the Bremen
section of the Law and Order
Offensive Party (“Schill
party”)
O Its focus has been on
important issues like crime
fighting and immigration
policy
O Took part in Bremen
parliamentary election of
2007
O Won 3.7% of the popular
state statewide in Bremen
state election of 2011

41. GERMAN COMMUNIST PARTY
O Communist, Marxist-Leninist
party
O Founded in 1968 to take the
place of the banned Communist
Party of Germany
O Remained on the political fringe
and never won more than 0.3%
of the total votes in federal
elections
O Had relatively larger support in
the 1970s; managed to get at
least 2.2% in elections Hamburg;
at least 3.1% in elections in
Bremen; at least 2.7% in
Saarland
O Entered a significant decline in
the years following German
reunification; as of 2008,
membership is only some 4,000

42. DAS ENDE
(THE END)