current government regime
The current government in Germany functions as a democracy since the two Germany’s were unified by Kohl in 1990. The Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic unified in accordance with the Basic Law. The government functions much like the government with the US. Elections, rights, and the freedom of the people all relate and somewhat parallel America’s government. The government consists of a President, a Chancellor and the cabinet, the Legislature, and the Judiciary branch. The President acts as the head of state and represents the Federal Republic in international relations, but also does not have most of the power. The President is elected every five years by the assemblage, which consists of about 1,000 people. The Chancellor and the cabinet are the people who have the most power in Germany because Basic Law invests the Chancellor with central executive authority. Some people refer to this a “chancellor democracy”, because the chancellor has most of the power. The Budestag elects the chancellor every four years. The president chooses whom the candidates are for the election, but the people vote who wins. The Chancellor cannot be removed until his or her term is officially over. The legislature consists of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat. This resembles our legislature in the US. The Bundestag resembles the House of Representatives while the Bundesrat is the federal body in which 16 land governments are represented. The Judiciary branch in Germany reflects the importance of the rule of law within the country. The government is starting to invest in Green Energy power due to the pollution around the country and the need for modernization. They will be investing in wind power on offshore wind farms. The future of the governmental system is moving more and more toward government that resembles the United States’ political system. They are starting to move away from having both a chancellor and a president and more toward just a president who combines the responsibilities of the current president and the current chancellor. It is questionable to many people if Germany’s future is still European but American rather due to the desire for a new political system. The government regime that currently exists is functional and successful but in need of some modernization.[1]
[1] "Germany." U.S. Department of State,. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3997.htm (accessed September 28, 2012).
[1] "Germany." U.S. Department of State,. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3997.htm (accessed September 28, 2012).