The Federal Republic of Germany is organised as a federal and parliamentary democracy. The Basic LawThe Basic LawThe Basic Law determines that Germany is a constitutional state: All state authorities are subject to judicial control. Section 1 of the Basic Law is of particular relevance. It stipulates that respect for human dignity is the most important aspect of the constitution: “Human dignity shall be…Read more › sets down that all state authority derives from the people. The people confer this power tothe federal and state parliaments for one legislative period.
State authority is divided between the legislative branch, the executive branch and the judicial branch, which is responsible for the administration of justice. The separation of powers is a core component of all democracies and is enshrined in Germany’s constitution, the Basic LawThe Basic LawThe Basic Law determines that Germany is a constitutional state: All state authorities are subject to judicial control. Section 1 of the Basic Law is of particular relevance. It stipulates that respect for human dignity is the most important aspect of the constitution: “Human dignity shall be…Read more ›. Parliaments belong to the legislative branch, while governments belong to the executive branch. The judicial branch holds a key role as judges in courts at both state and federal levels are independent and make decisions solely based on law. The highest court in Germany is the Federal Constitutional CourtThe Federal Constitutional CourtThe Federal Constitutional Court is a characteristic institution of post-war German democracy. The Basic Law accorded it the right to repeal legislation passed as part of the legitimate democratic process should it come to the conclusion that such legislation contravenes the Basic Law. The…Read more ›, which supervises compliance with the Basic Law. All other state authorities are bound by the decisions of the 16 constitutional judges.
The Federal PresidentFederal PresidentThe Federal President is the head of state of the Federal Republic of Germany. He represents the country in its dealings with other countries and appoints government members, judges and high-ranking civil servants. With his signature, acts become legally binding. He can dismiss the government and,…Read more › is the highest-ranking representative of Germany in terms of protocol. The second-highest ranking individual, in terms of protocol, is the President of the BundestagThe BundestagThe Bundestag is made up of the elected representatives of the German people. In principle elections to the Bundestag are proportionally representative, with each party’s share of the vote in the election reflecting the number of seats it occupies in the parliament. But the electoral system also…Read more ›. The President of the BundesratThe BundesratThe Bundesrat represents the federal states and alongside the Bundestag is a form of Second Chamber. It is obliged to deliberate on each federal law. As the chamber of the federal states, the Bundesrat has the same function as those Second Chambers in other federal states that are mostly referred…Read more › acts as deputy to the FederalPresident. This office is held in rotation for one year by the prime minister of one of the 16 states. The office with the greatest political decision-making power is the Federal ChancellorFederal chancellorThe Federal Chancellor is the only member of the Federal Government to be elected. The constitution empowers him to personally choose his ministers, who head the most important political authorities. Moreover it is the Chancellor who determines the number of ministries and their responsibilities…Read more ›, who sets guidelines forpolicy. The President of the Federal Constitutional Court, Germany’s highest court, is another high-ranking representative of the state.
