Germany · Government
Government and administration in Germany
How the executive, legislature and administrative state are organised, and which body is responsible for what.
The three branches
- Head of State — Federal President
- Elected by the Federal Convention; largely representative.
- Executive — Federal Chancellor and Cabinet
- Chancellor elected by the Bundestag; constructive vote of no confidence.
- Legislative — Bundestag and Bundesrat
- Bundesrat represents the sixteen Länder governments.
- Judicial — Five branches of federal jurisdiction
- Career judiciary with specialised training.
How legislation is made
Bills originate with the government, Bundestag or Bundesrat, pass three readings in the Bundestag, then require Bundesrat consent or non-objection; a mediation committee resolves deadlock.
Enforcement institutions
- Staatsanwaltschaft
- Public prosecutors direct investigations; the legality principle constrains discretion.
- Bundeskriminalamt
- Federal criminal police coordinating serious and cross-border crime.
- Länder police forces
- Ordinary policing is a state competence.
Government bodies and regulators
- executiveFederal Ministry of JusticePrepares federal legislation in civil, criminal and procedural law.
- executiveFederal Office for Migration and RefugeesDecides asylum applications and coordinates integration.
- executiveFederal Central Tax OfficeAdministers cross-border and centralised tax functions.
- independentFederal Commissioner for Data ProtectionSupervises GDPR compliance by federal bodies and telecoms.
- independentFederal Network AgencyRegulates electricity, gas, telecoms, post and rail.
- judicialCommercial Register (Handelsregister)Maintains the public register of merchants and companies.
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