Political outline

Executive Power

The Head of government is the Chancellor, who is elected by absolute majority in the Federal Assembly for a four year term.The Chancellor holds the executive power, which includes implementing the law and managing the everyday business of the country. The Federal Ministers (Council of Ministers) are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Chancellor.

The Head of State is the President. He is elected for a five year term by the Federal Convention (which includes the members of the Federal Assembly and an equal number of delegates elected by the provincial legislatures). The role of the president is mainly ceremonial.

Legislative Power

The legislative power in Germany is bicameral. The parliament is made up of two houses: the Federal Assembly (the lower house), with 613 seats, whose members are elected by universal suffrage combining proportional and direct representation, for a four year term. And the Federal Council (upper house), with 69 seats, whose members are delegates from the 16 provinces of the country for a 4 year term. There are no elections for the Federal Council. Its composition is determined by that of the provincial governments. The government depends directly or indirectly on the support of parliament, generally expressed by a vote of confidence. The Chancellor cannot dissolve parliament directly, but he can recommend its dissolution to the president if there is a vote of no confidence within the Federal Assembly. Legislative power belongs both to the government and the parliament. German citizens enjoy considerable political rights.

Main political parties

- Christian Democratic Union (CDU): conservatives
- Christian-Social Union (CSU): conservatives
- Social Democratic Party (SPD): social democrats
- Free Democratic Party (FDP): liberals
- Bündnis90/die Gruenen: left/green

Current political leaders

President :  Joachim GAUCK (since 18 March 2012) - Independant
Chancellor : Angela MERKEL (since November 2005) CDU, head of a coalition backed by the CSU and the SPD.

Next election dates

Chancellor: March 2012
Presidential: June 2017