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Bundestag Composition
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CDU/CSU |
247 |
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Total |
614 |
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Political System
Germany is a federal parliamentary democratic republic.
Head of State
On 23 May 2004, Horst Köhler was elected by the Federal Convention in Berlin as Johannes Rau's successor as President of the Federal Republic of Germany. The President is elected for a five-year term.
The President is elected by the Federal Convention which consists of members of the Bundestag and an equal number of members from, or nominated by, the regional parliaments who are elected on the basis of proportional representation. In his role as Head of State, the Federal President carries out the following functions:
- He represents the Federal Republic of Germany at home and abroad (public appearances at state, social and cultural events, speeches), visits the Länder and communities, goes on state visits abroad and receives foreign state visitors;
- He represents the Federal Republic of Germany in terms of international law, concludes treaties with foreign states, accredits German diplomatic envoys and receives foreign diplomats;
- He co-signs laws.
Government
On October 10, 2005, after three weeks of negotiations, CDU leader Angela Merkel was set to become Chancellor of a federal "grand coalition" made up of the CDU/CSU and the SPD, with seats in the 16-member cabinet divided between the two main power blocs, CDU/ CSU and SPD.
The 2005 September elections resulted in an awkward political stalemate with large implications for European politics as a whole. The SPD lost its absolute majority in the September 15, 2005 Bundestag (parliamentary) elections. But the opposition CDU/CSU, now four seats ahead in the Bundestag, has no absolute majority either. SPD leader Gerhard Schröder, in coalition with Greens, had been federal Chancellor since the previous elections of 1998. He was not expected to join the new government.
The gridlock produced by the 2005 election was further complicated by the death of a candidate in the eastern German city of Dresden, and the election there was postponed to October 2. The seat was finally secured by the CDU, tilting the psychological balance: until late in the day Schröder refused to accept that the SPD had lost the election.
With a poll participation of 77.7% (2002: 79.1%), and 1.8% spoiled votes(2002: 1.2 %), the final results, including second votes, were as follows:
CDU/ CSU : 35.2% - CDU 27.8 % (2002: 29.5 %) CSU: 7.4 % (2002: 9.0 %)
SPD: 34.2 % (2002: 38.5 %)
FDP: 9.8 % (2002: 7.4 %)
The Left: 8.7 % (2002: 4.0 %)
Greens: 8.1 % (2002: 8.6 %)
Others: 4.0 % (2002: 3.0 %)
Legislature
The parliament has two chambers. The Bundestag has 614 members, elected for a four-year term and the Bundesrat has 63 members. The Bundesrat is the link between the Federal Government and the states and acts as a channel for states to participate in legislation, Federal Republic administration and EU affairs.
There are no direct elections for the Bundesrat. The make-up of the Bundesrat is determined by the composition of the state-level governments, which are elected in the different "Länder".
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Political System
