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The Federal Government[1][2] (German: Bundesregierung (BReg)[3] pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁeˌɡiːʁʊŋ] ) is the chief executive body of the Federal Republic of Germany and exercises executive power at the federal level. It consists of the Federal Chancellor and the Federal Ministers.[4] The fundamentals of the government's organisation, as well as the method of its election and appointment, along with the procedure for its dismissal, are set down in the sixth section (articles 62 to 69) of the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz).
| Federal Government | |
|---|---|
| Bundesregierung | |
  Logo (top) and Bundesadler (bottom) of the Federal Government | |
| Overview | |
| State |  Germany |
| Leader | Federal Chancellor (Olaf Scholz) |
| Appointed by | Federal President (Frank-Walter Steinmeier) |
| Ministries | 16 Federal Ministries |
| Responsible to | Bundestag |
| Headquarters | Berlin, Germany |
| Website | bundesregierung.de |
The Chancellor and the other members of the government are allowed to be also members of the Bundestag (though they are not required to be).
An extended body is the Federal Cabinet (Bundeskabinett), which includes the Federal Government (consisting of the Federal Chancellor and Federal Ministers), the Head of the Federal Chancellery and its Parliamentary State Secretary, the Head of the Office of the Federal President, the Head of the Federal Press Office and the Personal Advisor to the Federal Chancellor.[5] In addition, the word "cabinet" is commonly used to distinguish between previous and current Federal Governments. For example, the fourth federal government under Chancellor Angela Merkel was the Fourth Merkel cabinet (Kabinett Merkel IV).
Regulations
editThe Chancellor is elected by the federal parliament (Bundestag) on proposal of the President of Germany with a majority of all members of the Bundestag (Chancellor-majority). However, the Bundestag is free to disregard the President's proposal (which has, as of 2023,[update] never happened), in which case the parliament may within 14 days hold further ballots and try to elect another individual, which the parties in the Bundestag can now propose themselves, to the post with the same so called Chancellor-majority, whom the President is then obliged to appoint. If the Bundestag fails to do so, a last ballot will be held on the 15th day (again the parties in the Bundestag may field candidates): If an individual is elected with the Chancellor-majority, the President must appoint them as Chancellor. If not, the President is free to either appoint the individual, who received a plurality of votes on this last ballot, as Chancellor or to dissolve the Bundestag and call a snap election within 60 days.
Following their election in the Bundestag, the Chancellor-elect will visit Bellevue Palace, the residence of the President, to receive a certificate of appointment. This is the moment, the elected individual actually enters office. After this short appointment-ceremony, the Chancellor returns to the Bundestag, in order to take the oath of office. Having taken the oath, the Chancellor will once again visit Bellevue Palace, this time joined by the individuals the Chancellor intends to propose as members of the government. The President will officially appoint the new government members, again handing over certificates of appointment. After the ministers are appointed, they return to the Bundestag and take their oaths of office, completing the appointment-process.
In contrast to the system under the Weimar Republic, the Bundestag may only dismiss the Chancellor with a constructive vote of no confidence (electing a new Chancellor at the same time) and can thereby only choose to dismiss the Chancellor with their entire government and not simply individual ministers. These procedures and mechanisms were put in place to prevent election of a new Adolf Hitler and to ensure that there will not be a political vacuum left by the removal of Chancellor through a vote of confidence and the failure to elect a new one in their place, as had happened during the Weimar period with the Reichstag removing Chancellors but failing to agree on the election of a new one.
If the Chancellor loses a simple confidence motion (without the election of a new Chancellor by the Bundestag), this does not force them out of office, but allows the Chancellor, if they wish to do so, to ask the President of Germany for the dissolution of the Bundestag, triggering a snap election within 60 days (this happened in 1972, 1983, and 2005), or to ask the President to declare a legislative state of emergency, which allows the government to use a simplified legislative procedure, in which bills proposed by the government only need the consent of the Bundesrat (as yet, this has never been applied). The President is, however, not bound to follow the Chancellor's request in both cases.
Functioning
editThe Chancellor is the chief executive leader. Therefore, the whole government's tenure is linked to the Chancellor's tenure: The Chancellor's (and the government's) term automatically ends, if a newly elected Bundestag sits for the first time, if they are replaced by a constructive vote of no confidence, or if the Chancellor resigns or dies. Nevertheless, apart from the case of a constructive vote of no confidence, which by nature instantly invests a new Chancellor (and a new government), the Chancellor and their ministers stay in office as an acting government on the President's request, until the Bundestag has elected a new Chancellor. An acting government and its members have (theoretically) the same powers as an ordinary government, but the Chancellor may not ask the Bundestag for a motion of confidence or ask the President for the appointment of new ministers. If an acting minister leaves the government, another member of government has to take over their department.
The Chancellor is responsible for guiding the government and deciding its political direction (Richtlinienkompetenz). According to the principle of departmentalization (Ressortprinzip), the government ministers are free to carry out their duties independently within the boundaries set by the Chancellor's political directives. The Chancellor may at any time ask the President to dismiss a minister or to appoint a new minister; the President's appointment is only a formality, he may not refuse a Chancellor's request for dismissal or appointment of a minister. The Chancellor also decides the scope of each minister's duties and can at his own discretion nominate ministers heading a department and so-called ministers for special affairs without an own department. A Chancellor can also lead a department; this is not usual, but it has occurred on three occasions with Konrad Adenauer and Willy Brandt also serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs, while Helmut Schmidt held the post of Minister of Defence.
The Chancellor's freedom to shape his government is only limited by some constitutional provisions: The Chancellor has to appoint a Minister of Defence, a Minister of Economic Affairs and a Minister of Justice and is implicitly forbidden to head one of these departments himself, as the constitution invests these ministers with some special powers. For example, the Minister of Defence is commander-in-chief during peacetime (only in wartime does the Chancellor becomes supreme commander), the Minister of Economic Affairs may veto decisions by the Federal Cartel Office and the Minister of Justice appoints and dismisses the Public Prosecutor General. If two ministers disagree on a particular point, the government resolves the conflict by a majority vote (Kollegialprinzip or principle of deference) or the Chancellor decides the case themselves. This often depends on the Chancellor's governing style.
The Chancellor has to appoint one of the government ministers as Vice Chancellor, who may deputise for the Chancellor in their absence. In coalition governments the Vice Chancellor is usually the highest ranking minister of the second-biggest coalition party. If the Chancellor dies or is unwilling or unable to act as Chancellor after the end of their term, until a new Chancellor has been elected, the Vice Chancellor becomes Acting Chancellor until the election of a new Chancellor by the Bundestag, who then has to form a new government. (To date, this has happened once: On 7 May 1974 Chancellor Willy Brandt resigned and declared his refusal to act as Chancellor until his successor's election. Vice Chancellor Walter Scheel was appointed as Acting Chancellor and served until the election of Helmut Schmidt on 16 May.)
The Chancellor is in charge of the government's administrative affairs, which are usually delegated to the Head of staff of the Chancellery, who is usually also appointed as minister for special affairs. Details are laid down in the government's rules for internal procedures (Geschäftsordnung). These state, for example, that the government is quorate only if at least half of the ministers including the chair (the Chancellor or in their absence the Vice Chancellor) are present. The government regularly convenes on Wednesday mornings in the Chancellery.
According to article 26 of the Basic Law weapons intended for warfare may only be manufactured, transported and placed on the market with the approval of the Federal Government in order to secure international peace. This and security policy are the tasks of the Federal Security Council (Bundessicherheitsrat), a government committee chaired by the Chancellor. Pursuant to its (classified) rules of procedure, its sessions are confidential. According to practice, the Federal Government presents an annual report on arms exports, which contains statistical information on export permits issued and gives figures for the types of arms concerned as well as their destination. As a general rule, the Federal Government, if asked, is required to inform the Bundestag that the Federal Security Council has approved a given armaments export transaction or not.[6]
Current cabinet
editThe current and 24th federal cabinet of Germany has been in office since 8 December 2021. It currently consists of the following ministers:[7]
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See also
edit- 2021 German federal election
- Council of Ministers (Ministerrat) of the German Democratic Republic (former East Germany)
- Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
- List of Federal Republic of Germany governments
- List of ministers of the Federal Republic of Germany — an alphabetical list of former ministers
References
edit- ^ Article 62 of the Basic Law
- ^ "Website of the Federal Government | Bundesregierung". Website of the Federal Government | Bundesregierung. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
- ^ "Abkürzungen für die Verfassungsorgane, die obersten Bundesbehörden und die obersten Gerichtshöfe des Bundes". Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
- ^ Article 62 of the Basic Law
- ^ Bildung, Bundeszentrale für politische. "Bundesregierung". bpb.de (in German). Retrieved 19 December 2024.
- ^ [2 BvE 5/11, Judgment of 21 October 2014: Right of Bundestag Members to be Informed of Exports of Military Equipment After the Federal Security Council Grants Permits] Federal Constitutional Court of Germany, Press Release No. 91/2014 of 21 October 2014.
- ^ German Chancellery (8 December 2021). "Liste der Bundesministerinnen und Bundesminister" [List of Federal Ministers]. Protokoll Inland der Bundesregierung (in German). German Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community. Archived from the original on 5 March 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
External links
edit- Official English names of German ministers and ministries (German Foreign Office)
- German cabinet website (in German)
- German cabinet website Archived 27 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine (in English)