Current Government Regime
Currently Germany is a great coalition of the political parties the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), with Angela Merkel as Chancellor. In Germany there have always been four political parties that have been the most popular after the Second World War. The CDU, SPD, Free Democratic Party (FDP) and Green Party. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has always been the most powerful party, before and after unification, in Germany. Although it is Christian based and emphasizes Christian understanding of humans and their responsibility towards god, the party appeals to both Christians and non-Christians. One of the most famous party leaders would be Helmut Kohl, who was chancellor for 16 years (until 1999), and helped Germany become a stabilized democracy. Angela Merkel, was elected as the successor of Kohl, and became chancellor after Schroeder. The CDU greatly commits itself to European integration and having a strong relation with the USA. The Social Democratic Party, on the other hand, doesn’t attract all types of voters and therefore is the 2nd strongest party after the CDU. During the years of the Weimar constitution it’s Marxist views made it the biggest political party in Germany. During the Nazi Period, however, it was forced into exile. After the war, the SPD turned away from its Marxist views and re-established itself as a social democratic party, representing the interests of the working class. The Free Democratic party, on the contrary, is a classical liberal party. It strongly supports human rights, civil liberties and globalization, with its main economic goal being the creation of jobs by creating incentives for private investments. The FDP considers itself as the party the CDU and SPD often needs in order to form a coalition government. Furthermore the FDP is a pro-European party and greatly encourages Turkey to be included in the EU. The Green Party is the smallest of the four parties and is considered as different. It was the first party to break the 5% barrier and enter the Bundestag in 1983. The Greens ideology is based on the belief that all life; all our problems are interconnected. Evidently they are an environmental party. Throughout the entire life of the Schröder government, the Green Party agreed to a coalition with the SPD.
Germany has been a Chancellor Democracy, ever since Adenauer forged the system in the 1940s. The chancellor holds the real executive power, however doesn’t have as much power as presidents in countries such as France, who can go to the public with a referendum. The chancellor heads the Federal government for a total of four years, and cannot be removed unless the Bundestag has agreed upon a successor. The President and the chancellor are comparable to the British prime minister and head of state (Queen). The German president’s, like the British head of states, duties are merely representative and ceremonial, whilst the chancellor, the head of government, holds all the real power. In contrast to the British government, the head of state does not appoint the Chancellor, and cannot dismiss the Chancellor either. The parliament consists of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, which together form the legislative body. The Bundesrat gives the 16 states direct representation in the national government. The Basic Law saw this as another way to reduce the possibility of any future Nazi-like regime. The Bundestag has the power to select the prime minister and pass legislation. The Bundestag elects a speaker (president), the Council of Elders etc. In contrast to the British and French systems the Bundestag gives more power to the individual parties. The Basic Law’s Article 21, regarding political parties, creates a dual system for electing the Bundestag, which is helpful in minimizing smaller parties. This means that political parties must cross the 5% barrier to receive a seat in the Bundestag. The federal system in Germany includes the national government having sole responsibility for foreign policy, defense, citizenship, the economy and transportation. The state governments, on the other hand, are vital, as they are able to test coalitions, which are too big of a risk at a federal level.