The Federal Republic of Germany adopted its democratic constitution in 1949. Its structure and authority is derived from German legal traditions as well as Roman law. The emphasis of this document is the protection of individual rights and the division of powers within the federal structure of Germany.
In Germany, the head of state is the Federal President. The Executive Branch of the government is made up of the Federal President and the federal cabinet. The federal president nominates the chancellor and the chancellor's cabinet appointments and may dismiss the cabinet appointments upon recommendation of the chancellor. The role of the Federal President is mostly ceremonial: to represent the country and its legitimacy. He or she gives direction to general political debates. The Federal President is elected by indirect vote.
The constitution dictates that the president is to represent the Federal Republic of Germany in matters of international law, accredits diplomats, and concludes treaties with foreign states on behalf of Germany. The president also signs all federal laws, though he does not have veto power. The president serves for 5 years.
The Federal Chancellor is the head of the government and therefore, the head of the Executive Branch. He or she is elected by the parliament and chooses the federal ministers. The chancellor is in charge of running the government on a day-to-day basis. The chancellor serves for 4 years.
The Bundesrat, or federal council, is the upper chamber of the German legislature. Bundesrat members are not elected, but they are delegated by the state governments. There is no set term; instead, they serve for as long as they represent their respective states. There are 69 seats in the Bundesrat. The legislative authority of the Bundesrat is subordinate to the authority of the Bundestag, but the upper house plays a vital role nevertheless. The federal government needs to present all legislative initiatives to the Bundesrat before a proposal is passed on to the Bundestag. Additionally, they must approve legislation which affects policy areas.
The Bundestag, or federal diet, is the lower chamber and is made up of at least 598 members, depending upon the election results. They are elected by a plurality vote in single-member constituencies. All legislation originates in the Bundestag. The powers of the Bundestag are balanced by the state parliaments. They are allocated by direct, popular vote through a mixed member proportional system. The Bundestag has four-year terms.
Together with the Judicial branch, these make up the branches of Germany's government.
Recommended Resources
The official website of the Irish Embassy in Germany offers information for Irish citizens living in or visiting Germany. The embassy staff is tasked with promoting and protecting the interests of the Irish people. Contact info as well as emergency contact details are displayed, as well as recent tweets, directions for getting or renewing a passport, helping and travel advisories and updated advisories. Additionally, the embassy assists Irish people who find themselves in emergency situations.
https://www.dfa.ie/irish-embassy/Germany/
Embassy of Jordan, Berlin, Germany
The Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Berlin contains names of those on the embassy team, directions to the embassy, email addresses of the ambassador, and his top staff as well as telephone numbers and email addresses for different departments, including passports, and Visa help in Arabic, German, and English.
http://www.jordanembassy.de/
A biography of the Chancellor as well as each cabinet member in the form of a curriculum vitae, the governance in accordance with the Constitution, and national sustainability are all to be found here on the official site of the German government. Additional items here include the election and duties of the Chancellor, a list of all Chancellors since 1949, and explanations about the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
https://www.bundesregierung.de/Webs/Breg/EN/Homepage/_node.html
Germany's Ministry of Defence is the subject of this site, which contains details about central command and control, the structure and organisation of the ministry, tasks and responsibilities, and subordinate agencies. Further, there is a list of historic chiefs of defence since 1957 and a profile and pictures of the Hardthohe, which is the first official seat of the Ministry of Defence.
https://www.bmvg.de/en
