Government authorities(bodies) in Germany: legislative, executive, and judiciary authorities in Germany

§ Federal and federated states authorities in Germany

In Germany, there is a two-tier system of state power with individual authorities at each level respectively: federal and regional (the one of a federated state or a land). The structure of the government in Germany is determined by the Constitution or the Basic Law of the country; in particular, at the federal level, 5 government bodies and 2 ad hoc committees temporarily created for a specific purpose are referred to as standing government bodies. All these bodies of authority are characterized further on the page.

§ Bundestag, the German Federal Parliament

• 

  Bundestag Plenary Hall in Reichstag, Berlin

The Bundestag (in German: Bundestag) or the Federal Parliament is the legislative body of Germany, it consists of approximately 600-700 members elected by the citizens of the country for a term of 4 years. The Bundestag members are representatives of the people and freely decide when considering and passing laws. The Bundestag members having similar political goals and interests form parliamentary factions, groups or alliances. There are also standing committees, in the Bundestag that perform certain tasks, as well as committees of the Federal Ministries; each committee is headed by a committee chairperson. The Bundestag holds meetings to discuss and adopt new laws, which are passed by a majority vote. The Bundestag members elect the Bundestag President (in German: Präsident) and his/her Deputies. Discussions in the Bundestag are publicly available, everyone can watch them on TV, on the Internet or from the viewing stand in the building where the meetings are held. After the adoption of a new law or amendments to the law, the bill has to go through the Bundesrat, and also be signed by the Federal Chancellor, one of the Ministers and the President of Germany.

§ Federal Government and the Chancellor of Germany

• 

  The seat of the German Federal Government in Berlin

The Federal Government of Germany (in German: Bundesregierung) - consists of the Federal Chancellor, the head of the Government and Ministers. Each Federal Minister is the head of a Ministry of the country. The Federal Ministers are appointed by the President of the country on the proposal of the Federal Chancellor; the Ministers handle their matters independently within the framework of the Federal Chancellor's main policies. There are 14 Federal Ministries in the country.

The Federal Chancellor of Germany (in German: Bundeskanzler) is the country's most important political capacity; the Federal Chancellor determines the country's main policies and shall bear responsibility for them. The Federal Chancellor is elected by the Bundestag on the proposal of the President of Germany.

§ Bundesrat or the Federal Council of Germany, representation of the federated states

• 

  German Bundesrat building, Berlin

The Bundesrat (in German: Bundesrat) or the Federal Council is a representation of the German federated states at the federal level of power, it consists of members of each federated state government. Thanks to this body, all the country’s federated states participate in exercising the legislative and executive powers of Germany. Approximately once a month, plenary sessions (or meetings of all the Council members) of the Bundesrat are held, and all the German federated states governments representatives come to these meetings. The Bundesrat shall elect their own Chair or President (in German: Bundesratspräsident) for a period of 1 year. The Federal Government shall keep the Bundesrat up to date on the current affairs. The Bundesrat checks and approves laws passed by the Bundestag; the laws relating to matters within the competence of the federated states cannot enter into force without the approval on the part of the Bundesrat. There are 16 committees in the Bundesrat made up of professionals in a specific field, such as finance, healthcare, defense, etc. These committees advise the Bundesrat members on the laws being discussed.

§ Federal President, Head of the State of Germany; the Federal President's Office

• 

  Bellevue Palace, Berlin - the official residence of the Federal President of Germany

The Federal President of Germany (in German: Bundespräsident) is the head of the state of Germany. In contrast to many other countries, the Federal President is not the main politician of the country, their activity remains within the framework of everyday politics, as well as the performance of representative functions, such as receiving foreign politicians or representing the country abroad. The President of Germany approves the laws adopted by the Bundestag. The Federal President is elected by the Federal Assembly for a term of 5 years. His/ her Deputy, if necessary, shall be the President of the Bundesrat. In carrying out tasks, the President enjoys the support of their office, known as the Office of the Federal President (in German: Bundespräsidialamt). The Office provides consultations to the President, informs about political events, prepares his/ her trips and visits and fulfils various assignments of the President.

A German citizen over 40 years old can be elected President of Germany. S/he shall not be engaged in other work or have a different political capacity and actively participate in the activities of any political party.

§ Federal Assembly of Germany

• 

  Federal Assembly (aka the Federal Convention) - a constitutional body for the election of the President of Germany

The Federal Assembly (in German: Bundesversammlung) is a constitutional body whose sole task is to elect the Federal President. This Assembly consists of all the members of the Bundestag and the same number of representatives of all the federated states of Germany, elected by the Parliaments of each state. The Federal Assembly meets for the election of the President every 5 years, for which purpose new members of the Assembly are elected each time.

§ Joint Committee - a parliament created in a state of emergency

• 

  Joint Committee - a parliament created in a state of emergency

The Joint Committee (нем. Gemeinsamer Ausschuss) - (in German: Gemeinsamer Ausschuss) is a committee created in case of emergency when there is a need for a defensive war. This Committee is vested with the powers of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat and ascertains the fact of an attack and the need to pursue a defensive war. The Joint Committee embraces the members of the Bundestag (by two-thirds) and those of the Bundesrat (by one third).

§ Federal Сonstitutional Сourt of Germany

• 

  Federal Сonstitutional Сourt of Germany

The Federal Сonstitutional Сourt of Germany (in German:Bundesve rfassungsgericht) is the supreme judicial authority in the country. This Court deals with cases where the consistency of any German law with the Constitution of the country is called into question. Other courts of the country apply to the Сonstitutional Сourt to make sure that a particular law of the country is consistent with the Constitution. The Federal Government and the federated states governments can also request a compliance audit of a law. The Сonstitutional Сourt also deals with cases of disputes between authorities regarding their rights and obligations. Any German citizen can appeal to the Сonstitutional Сourt, should s/he consider that their constitutional rights have been violated; the violation may come from a court, law or any government agency. 16 judges of the Сonstitutional Сourt are elected by the Bundesrat and the Bundestag for a term of 12 years. The Сourt is divided into 2 parts, consisting of 2 senates (the senate for constitutional rights and the senate for disputes between authorities), the first one is chaired by the President of the Court, while the other is chaired by their Deputy, i.e. the Vice President.

§ German federated states parliaments

The federated state parliament or Landtag (in German: Landesparlament, Landtag) may also have different names, depending on the federated state. Deputies of the federated state parliament are elected by the people residing in the territory of this federated state. The parliament is the legislature; the key tasks of the parliament are legislation, control over the federated state government, as well as the approval of the local budget.

§ German federated states governments

The federated state government (in German: Landesregierung) is the executive body of a federated state; depending on the state, it may have different names: Landesregierung, Landeskabinett, Staatsregierung, Ministerrat, Senat. The federated state government consists of the head of the government (in German: Regierungschefs), who may also be called differently, depending on the state, for example: Ministerpräsident, Regierender Bürgermeister, Präsident des Senats, and ministers (in German: Landesministern, Staatsministern, Senatoren). The head of the federated state government is elected by the federated state parliament, s/he appoints the ministers of their government, determines the focal points of the federated state policy and shall be responsible for it to the federated state parliament.

§ Сonstitutional Сourts of the federated states of Germany

The Сonstitutional Сourts of the federated states of Germany (in German: Landesverfassungsgericht) have different names, depending on the federated state: Verfassungsgericht, Landesverfassungsgericht, Verfassungsgerichtshof. The Сonstitutional Сourts scope may differ in different federated states. These Courts resolve mainly constitutional disputes and do not deal with the affairs of private individuals; they adjudicate disputes between the federated states authorities regarding their duties and rights, deal with auditing the statutory compliance of the federated state legislation with the Constitution of the said state, etc.