Wow, is complex...and its hard to find the right information. So I tried my best to give a "short" overview of the different positions.
1. Chancellor
2. Federal President
3. Bundestag (Upper House of Parliament, this is the translation Babel Fish gave me, even the
official homepage of the BUNDESTAG doesnt have a translation on it!)
4.
Bundesregierung (Federal Government)
5. Bundesrat
6. Bundesverfassungsgericht
Role of the Chancellor The Chancellor has a prominent position in the government. He is, as it were, the "captain" of the ship of state. He determines who will be in the government, since he alone has the right to form the Cabinet. He chooses his ministers and makes a proposal that is binding for the Federal President with regard to their appointment (or dismissal). He determines the number of Ministers and defines their terms of reference. The Chancellor determines the general guidelines of government policy ("principle of Chancellor policy guidelines").
Role of the Ministers Although the Chancellor has the right to issue orders to his ministers, the constitution emphasises the right of Ministers to conduct their affairs autonomously and on their own responsibility within the limits set by the Chancellor's guidelines ("principle of ministerial autonomy"). Many Ministers have been able to create a strong position for themselves on the basis of professional competence, skilful handling of public relations, and strong parliamentary or extra-parliamentary backing.
ABOVE INFORMATION FROM THE HOMEPAGE OF THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT
The Federal PresidentPresidential Election Council is called the group of citizen, who meets every five years once, in order to select the Federal President from Germany to. In this group are not naturally always the same humans, which can itself change. Always directly it is however that all members of the federal daily, thus the delegates selected by the citizens in the parliament, belong to the Presidential Election Council. They however constitute only half of humans in the Presidential Election Council. The other half is determined by the governments of the federal states of the Republic.
The Federal President is our head of state. But he really cant decide that much. His major task is it to maintain the contact to other countries. He invites heads of state from other countries to Germany, travels to other countries or speaks at large conferences. By all that he can explain humans in other countries, how we think in Germany over different things.
ABOVE INFORMATION IS FROM A
TV STATION'S WEBSITE (translated with Babel Fish)
The Federal President is a head of state of the Federal Republic of Germany. He does not govern, but he represents the country. Therefore it stands over the parties and over all political institutions. He is neutral.
If the Federal Republic of Germany locks a contract with another country, then the Federal President signs, i.e. it signs the contract in the name of Germany.
If the Federal President travels abroad, he represents entire Germany. One calls such journeys state visits. If other countries send Ambassadors to Germany, they are received and accepted from the Federal President.
Other important tasks:
- He appoints e.g. the Federal High Court Judges and the officials of the Federal Republic of Germany.
- He appoints also the officers of the German Federal Armed Forces, i.e. the German army.
Without an appointment by the Federal President these people cannot become officials. If they did something wrong or if they want to retire, the Federal President can dismiss them. Only then they may go.
All laws must be examined by the Federal President. If everything is correct, he signs the law. Only then they become valid.
Another important task of the Federal President is the appointment of the Federal Chancellor. It cannot determine the Federal Chancellor, but it can suggest a politician to the "Bundestag". Normally he suggests the candidates for the chancellorship of the largest party and/or the coalition parties in the "Bundestag". The Bundestag selects the Federal Chancellor, but then the Federal President must appoint it officially.
Then the Federal Chancellor suggests the men and women, who should become Federal Ministers. The Federal President appoints them - and he must dismisses them at the end of their term.
The Federal President can dissolve also the "Bundestag", i.e. he can determine, when new Bundestag is selected. However, he can only do so if there are problems, and he must discuss it first with the Federal Chancellor.
The Federal President can decide thus very little alone.
He must always look for and on the opinion of the other political institutions and politicians hear a consent. Because it is politically neutral, it is also respected by the majority of the people. Its largest power is moral..
ABOVE INFORMATION IS FROM A PRIVATE WEBSITE (and was translated with Babel Fish, so pardon the English ;)
BUNDESTAGThe Upper House of Parliament is one of the five constant constitutional bodies of the Federal Republic of Germany. Apart from Federal President, Bundestag, Bundesregierung and Bundesverfassungsgericht the Upper House of Parliament is as agency of the countries the federal federal organ. It decides also on the policy of the federation and forms thereby on the one hand a counterweight to the constitutional bodies the Bundestag and Bundesregierung and it is on the other hand a link between federation and countries.
Remark by Jenny: Maybe its just my bro and me, but we really dont know much about the stuff the federal president is doing. I would say the chancelor is seeen as "head of state" in a sense that he is just around more = is seen more on TV and so on.
Additional stuff
Bills of the Federal Government are transmitted to the Upper House of Parliament to the statement. A law resolution of the federal daily must possibly be treated in several passages by Bundestag and Bundesrat. There is no agreement, the mediation committee is called. On the way of a law from the draft to announcing by the Federal President many examinations from different points of view are intended. No Federal Government, a Federal Chancellor cannot implement easily the own conceptions. The sometimes lengthy ways of decision making in the foederalen system offer in contrast to this their own democratic quality on the basis of control and common responsibility.
