:: Germany > GERMAN POLITICS Political System The Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Federal Republic of Germany) came into being in 1949 with the proclamation of the Grundgesetz (Constitutional Law) which emphasizes the protection of individual liberty and human rights and also splits powers both between the federal and state levels and between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Federalism Since the reunification, after the collapse of the socialist eastern German state in 1990, the Federal Republic of Germany consists of 16 federal states. The political systems of the individual states or Bundesländer are prescribed by state constitutions, but resemble the federal constitution. Police, education, cultural and communal affairs are handled by state legislature. Elections for the parliaments of the Bundesländer are held every four to five years, depending on the state. The heads of the federal states' governments are called Ministerpräsidenten. They form the federal institution of the Bundesrat which plays an important role in approving and controlling German federal legislation. Federal institutions The German federal legislature - the parliament - is called Bundestag. It resides in the Reichstag building in the capital of Berlin. Its members are elected every 4 years. A party must have at least 5% of the vote to be represented in the Bundestag. This rule is part of the constitution and aimed to prevent political fragmentation. The Bundestag elects the Bundeskanzler (Federal Chancellor) which heads the Bundesregierung (Federal Cabinet) and thus the executive branch of the federal government. The Chancellor usually belongs to the party with the most seats in parliament, supported by a coalition of two or more parties with a majority in the parliament. He appoints a Vizekanzler (Vice-Chancellor), who is a member of his cabinet, usually the Foreign Affairs Minister. First person in Germany's political system is the Bundespräsident (Federal President). However, his duties are largely representative and ceremonial; power is exercised by the Chancellor. The President is elected every 5 years by the Bundesversammlung (Federal Assembly). Judicial system Germany has an independent judiciary branch that handles civil and criminal cases, which is in turn comprised of four levels of courts up to the Bundesgerichtshof. Besides, there are separate branches for administrative, tax, labor, and social security issues. In addition, Germany has a powerful Bundesverfassungsgericht (Constitutional Court). This is somewhat unique since the Grundgesetz stipulates in principle that every person may file a complaint to that court when he feels his constitutional rights or human rights have been violated by the state. Political parties The following parties currently are represented in the Bundestag: SPD Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands The Social Democratic Party of Germany, founded in 1863, is the oldest political party in the country. It is rooted in the workers' movement. It formerly was more explicitly socialist but moved from the left to the centre during the last years and has adopted a slightly neoliberalist view today while remaining committed to social market economy and social democracy. The SPD usually gets close to 40% of the votes in federal elections however only got 34.2% in the 2005 elections. CDU Christlich-Demokratische Union The Christian Democratic Union was founded 1945 by Konrad Adenauer and others. The CDU is a moderate Christian party and the major conservative movement in Germany with members of all economic classes and religious confessions. In Bavaria, the CDU does not exist. However, its sister party CSU (Christian Social Union) forms a firm coalition with the CDU at federal level. The CDU/CSU usually gets more than 40% of the votes in federal elections but only reached 35.2% in the 2005 elections. FDP Freie Demokratische Partei The Free Democratic Party was founded in 1948 and stands for a liberal tradition and a free-market economy. The party has traditionally been composed mainly of members of the middle class. Although the FDP is relatively small, gaining between 6 and 10% of the votes in elections it has participated in many federal governments in coalition with either the CDU or the SPD. Bündnis 90/Die Grünen The German Green Party was founded in the late 1970s as part of the new social movements. It is the oldest and the politically most successful of the world's many green parties. In 1989 and 1990, several civil rights groups in East Germany united to form "Bündnis 90", which merged with "Die Grünen" in 1993. In 1998, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen became part of the national "Rot/Grün" coalition government of social democrats and greens. The party usually gets between 6 and 9% of the votes. Linkspartei/PDS A new leftwing party was founded in June 2005 as a co-operation of the socialist PDS party - successor of the former communist party of eastern Germany - and of a group of leftwing union members under the leadership of former SPD chairman Oskar Lafontaine. The party rejects any reforms of the expensive German social welfare system and even wants to expand it. The party received 8.7% of the votes in the 2005 elections. Main political issues Although still world-champion in exports, Germany is currently experiences problems with globalization - as many countries in the western world. Due to high labour costs numerous German companies have transferred their production facilities to countries in eastern Europe and to China. This resulted in high and steadily increasing unemployment rates in Germany, an economic growth rate that fell close to zero, a state tax income that is below state expenditure and extremely high state debts which are also the result of an enormous burden of government employees' salaries and pensions. Reforms are difficult because a substantial part of the German people - supported by the powerful German unions - does not understand the reasons for the economic problems and refuses to accept cuts in the social welfare system as well as a deregulation of the labour market. However, it seems that Germany is recovering at the moment and economic growth is on its way again.
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Photo right: Federal President Horst Köhler
			German Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel (CDU) heads the current CDU / SPD coalition.