Chancellor of Germany

From Freepedia

Image:Current event marker.png This article documents a current event.
Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.
Germany

Image:De wappen.png
This article is part of the series:
Politics of Germany

edit

Politics Portal
Politics (by country)
State leaders -  Legislatures
Elections by country - by calendar
Parties by country - by name

The German title Bundeskanzler is also the title of the Chancellor of Austria, and the title of a Swiss federal official (List of Federal Chancellors of Switzerland).

The German head of government is known as the Chancellor (German Kanzler). Following the recent election of a new Bundestag, the legislature is expected to elect Angela Merkel to be the new chancellor in November 2005. As the first woman in that position, Chancellor Merkel will be referred to by the feminine Kanzlerin. Until her election as Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder will remain Acting Chancellor.

Since 1949 the formal title of the office has been Federal Chancellor (German Bundeskanzler). The title of Bundeskanzler was also used in the 19th century, during the time of the North German Confederation.

From 1871 to 1945, the office was named Imperial Chancellor (German Reichskanzler).

See the article Chancellor for the etymology of the word.

Contents

Bundeskanzler (North German Confederation 1867-1871)

The head of the federal government of the North German Confederation, which was created in 1867, had the title Bundeskanzler. The position was held by the Prussian Minister-President Otto von Bismarck, until German unification under the German Empire in 1871.

Reichskanzler (1871-1945)

Before World War II, the title in Germany was Reichskanzler listen ▶(?) (Imperial Chancellor). In the 1871 German Empire, the Chancellor served both as the Emperor's first minister, and as presiding officer of the Bundesrat, the upper chamber of the German parliament. He was neither elected by nor responsible to Parliament (the Reichstag). Instead, the Chancellor was appointed by the Emperor.

This was only changed on October 29, 1918, with an amendment to the 1871 constitution. However, the change could not prevent the outbreak of the revolution a few days later. The new constitution of the 1919 Weimar Republic said that the Chancellor was appointed by the German President, but that the parliament had the right to dismiss a chancellor or any of the ministers. In fact many of the Weimar governments depended highly on the cooperation of the President, due to uncertain circumstances in the parliament.

Chancellors of the 1871 German Empire:

Image:German Chancellors1.png

Ebert continued to serve as Head of Government during the three months between the end of the German Empire in November 1918 and the first gathering of the National Assembly in February 1919, but did not hold the title of Chancellor.

Chancellors of the 1919 Weimar Republic:

Chancellors of the Nazi Era

Bundeskanzler (since 1949)

Germany's 1949 constitution, the Basic Law (Grundgesetz), invests the Federal Chancellor (Bundeskanzler) with central executive authority. For that reason, some observers refer to the German political system as a "chancellor democracy". The Federal Government (Bundesregierung) consists of the chancellor and his or her cabinet ministers.

Image:DEchancellors.jpg The chancellor's authority emanates from the provisions of the Basic Law and from his or her status as leader of the party (or coalition of parties) holding a majority of seats in the Bundestag (federal parliament). With the exception of Helmut Schmidt, the chancellor has usually also been chairman of his own party. This was the case with Chancellor Gerhard Schröder from 1999 until he resigned the chairmanship of the SPD in 2004.

Appointment mechanism

Every four years, after national elections and the convocation of the newly elected members of the Bundestag, the chancellor is elected by a majority of the members of the Bundestag upon the proposal of the Federal President (Bundespräsident). This vote is one of the few cases where a majority of all elected members of the Bundestag must be achieved, as opposed to a mere majority of those that are currently assembled. This is referred to as Kanzlermehrheit (chancellor's majority), and is designed to ensure the establishment of a stable government. It has in the past occasionally forced ill or pregnant members to have to attend parliament when a party's majority was only slim.

Unlike regular voting by the Bundestag, the vote to elect the chancellor is by secret ballot. This is intended to ensure that the chancellor's majority does not depend on members of his party only outwardly showing support.

If the nominee of the Federal President is not elected, the Bundestag may elect its own nominee within fourteen days. If no-one is elected within this period, the Bundestag will attempt an election. If the person with the highest number of votes has a majority, the president must appoint him. If the person with the highest number of votes does not have a majority, the president may either appoint him, or call new elections for the Bundestag.

The chancellor is the only member of the federal government elected by the Bundestag. The other cabinet ministers are chosen by the chancellor himself, although they are formally nominated by the Federal President.

Votes of no-confidence

For more details, see Constructive Vote of No Confidence.

Unlike in other parliamentary legislatures, the Bundestag cannot remove the chancellor simply with a Motion of No Confidence. Instead, the early removal of a chancellor is only possible when it simultaneously agrees on a successor. In order to garner legislative support in the Bundestag, the chancellor can also call for a regular Motion of Confidence, either combined with a legislative proposal or as a standalone vote. Only if such a vote fails may the president dissolve the Bundestag.

This procedure exists to avoid the situation that existed in the Weimar Republic, when votes of no-confidence were abused by parties of both political extremes, in order to oppose chancellors and undermine the democratic process.

The chancellor's role

The chancellor determines the composition of the Federal Cabinet. The Federal President formally appoints and dismisses cabinet ministers, at the recommendation of the chancellor; no parliamentary approval is needed. According to the Basic Law, the chancellor may set the number of cabinet ministers and dictate their specific duties. Chancellor Ludwig Erhard had the largest cabinet, with twenty-two ministers in the mid-1960s. Helmut Kohl presided over 17 ministers at the start of his fourth term in 1994; the 2002 cabinet, the second of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, has 13 ministers, and the Angela Merkel cabinet expected to take office in November 2005 has 14.

Article 65 of the Basic Law sets forth three principles that define how the executive branch functions:

  • The "chancellor principle" makes the chancellor responsible for all government policies. Any formal policy guidelines issued by the chancellor are legally binding directives that cabinet ministers must implement. Cabinet ministers are expected to introduce specific policies at the ministerial level that reflect the chancellor's broader guidelines.
  • The "principle of ministerial autonomy" entrusts each minister with the freedom to supervise departmental operations and prepare legislative proposals without cabinet interference so long as the minister's policies are consistent with the chancellor's broader guidelines.
  • The "cabinet principle" calls for disagreements between federal ministers over jurisdictional or budgetary matters to be settled by the cabinet.

List of Chancellors since 1949

Related articles

External links

Retrieved from "http://en.freepedia.org/Chancellor_of_Germany.html"


Views
Personal tools
In other languages
Similar Links