How Power Works in Germany: Bundestag, Bundesrat, Chancellor and President
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Germany is a federal parliamentary republic. This means that key decisions are not made by one single leader, but by several interconnected levels of power: the federal parliament, the government, the states, the Bundesrat, the federal president, and the courts. In everyday life in Germany, this matters in practical terms: some rules are the same across the whole country, while others depend on the specific federal state.
The Federal Republic of Germany has existed since 1949. The country received its modern borders after reunification on October 3, 1990; this date is celebrated as German Unity Day.
In Short: Who Is Responsible for What
Germany’s Basic Law, the Grundgesetz, establishes the democratic, social, and federal structure of the state. At the federal level, citizens directly elect the Bundestag. The chancellor is then elected by the Bundestag, and the federal president by the Bundesversammlung, the Federal Convention.
The logic of the system is this: voters form the parliament, the parliamentary majority elects the chancellor, the chancellor forms the government, and the states participate in federal politics through the Bundesrat. That is why Germany is not a presidential republic: day-to-day state policy is run by the federal government under the leadership of the chancellor.
| Institution | How it is formed | Main role |
|---|---|---|
| Bundestag | Elected by German citizens | Passes federal laws, approves the budget, controls the government, elects the chancellor |
| Bundesrat | Consists of representatives of the governments of the 16 states | Participates in federal legislation and protects the interests of the states |
| Federal government | Chancellor and federal ministers | Enforces laws and carries out the government’s political course |
| Federal president | Elected by the Federal Convention | Represents the state and performs constitutional functions |
| Federal Constitutional Court | Judges are elected through the established Bundestag/Bundesrat procedure | Reviews whether state power complies with the Grundgesetz |
Federalism in Germany is noticeable in daily life. The states are responsible for schools and universities, state police, cultural policy, a significant part of the administration, and many procedures residents deal with. That is why the rules and practice in Berlin, Bavaria, or North Rhine-Westphalia may differ, even though all of them are within one legal system.
Questions about parliament, federalism, citizens’ rights, and elections appear in the Einbuergerungstest and the Leben in Deutschland test. This knowledge is also useful for people preparing for permanent residence in Germany or naturalization.
How Democracy Works in Germany
German democracy is multi-level. Residents take part in municipal elections, state parliament elections, European Parliament elections, and federal elections. At the federal level, the system is representative: citizens elect members of the Bundestag, and the elected parliament then forms the executive branch.
Referendums on ordinary federal laws are not a standard mechanism of German politics. At the state and local levels, however, there are their own instruments of direct democracy: civic initiatives, local votes, and procedures regulated by state law.
Municipalities: The Closest Level of Government
The lowest level is Gemeinde, Kommune, Stadt, and Landkreis, meaning municipalities, local authorities, cities, and districts. Here residents elect local councils and, as a rule, the mayor, the Buergermeister. The specific rules depend on the state.
Municipalities deal with the issues closest to everyday life: local development, municipal infrastructure, part of transport, neighborhood development, and many administrative services.
Only German citizens over the age of 18 vote in Bundestag elections. In municipal elections and European Parliament elections at the place of residence, citizens of other EU countries may also take part. The right to vote in federal elections appears only after obtaining German citizenship; the naturalization conditions are collected in the article about German citizenship.
Federal States
Germany consists of 16 federal states. Each state has its own parliament and government. In 13 states, the parliament is called the Landtag; in Berlin, it is the Abgeordnetenhaus; in Bremen and Hamburg, it is the Buergerschaft.
The state parliament elects the head of the state government. In most cases, this office is called Ministerpraesident or Ministerpraesidentin. In city-states, the titles differ, but the meaning is the same: this is the head of the executive branch of the respective state.
The states are not just administrative districts. They have their own budgets, coalitions, governments, and political priorities. Because of this, Germany can look uneven: the school system, administrative practice, police, and some procedures differ noticeably across regions.
Bundesrat: How the States Influence Federal Laws
The Bundesrat is the body through which the states are represented at the federal level. It is not made up of separately elected senators, but of members of the state governments or their representatives.
Under the Grundgesetz, each state has from 3 to 6 votes depending on its population. In total, the Bundesrat has 69 votes. The votes of one state must be cast uniformly: the delegation cannot split its votes between different positions.
| State | Votes |
|---|---|
| Baden-Wuerttemberg | 6 |
| Bavaria | 6 |
| Berlin | 4 |
| Brandenburg | 4 |
| Bremen | 3 |
| Hamburg | 3 |
| Hesse | 5 |
| Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 3 |
| Lower Saxony | 6 |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 6 |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | 4 |
| Saarland | 3 |
| Saxony | 4 |
| Saxony-Anhalt | 4 |
| Schleswig-Holstein | 4 |
| Thuringia | 4 |
| Total | 69 |
The Bundesrat is especially important for laws that affect the powers of the states, finances, taxes, administration, and changes to the Grundgesetz. Some laws require the Bundesrat’s consent. For others, the Bundesrat may object, after which the text goes through conciliation procedures.
Bundestag: The Federal Parliament
The Bundestag is Germany’s main federal parliament. It passes federal laws, approves the budget, controls the government, and elects the federal chancellor.
Federal elections are usually held every four years. After the electoral law reform, the size of the Bundestag is fixed at 630 members. In federal elections, voters have two votes:
- the Erststimme, for a candidate in the electoral district;
- the Zweitstimme, for a state party list.
It is the Zweitstimme that determines how seats are distributed among the parties. Winning a district by Erststimme after the reform does not always mean receiving a seat: the seat must be covered by the party’s result in the second votes. A 5 percent threshold usually applies, but electoral law contains special rules and exceptions. More about the two votes, the threshold, postal voting, and parties is explained in the article about elections in Germany.
After the election, the parties conduct coalition negotiations. If no party or bloc wins an absolute majority, several parties agree on a government, distribute ministries, and set out common goals in a coalition agreement.
Federal Chancellor
The Bundeskanzler is the head of the federal government and the key figure of the executive branch. The chancellor determines the general political course of the government and proposes federal ministers.
The chancellor is elected by the Bundestag on the proposal of the federal president. After the election, the president formally appoints the chancellor and then the ministers on the chancellor’s proposal.
Within the cabinet, a balance applies: the chancellor sets the general direction, but each minister runs their own ministry within that framework. That is why the German government works through coordination, coalition agreements, and ministerial responsibility.
A chancellor can be removed only through a constructive vote of no confidence, the konstruktives Misstrauensvotum. The Bundestag must not only express no confidence in the incumbent chancellor, but also elect a new one at the same time.
In 2026, Germany’s federal chancellor is Friedrich Merz. He was elected by the Bundestag on May 6, 2025.
| Chancellor | Term |
|---|---|
| Konrad Adenauer | 1949-1963 |
| Ludwig Erhard | 1963-1966 |
| Kurt Georg Kiesinger | 1966-1969 |
| Willy Brandt | 1969-1974 |
| Helmut Schmidt | 1974-1982 |
| Helmut Kohl | 1982-1998 |
| Gerhard Schroeder | 1998-2005 |
| Angela Merkel | 2005-2021 |
| Olaf Scholz | 2021-2025 |
| Friedrich Merz | since 2025 |
Federal President
The Bundespraesident is the head of state, but not the head of government. The office does not run day-to-day politics the way the chancellor does, but it holds an important place in the constitutional system.
The federal president is elected by the Bundesversammlung, the Federal Convention. It includes members of the Bundestag and the same number of delegates elected by the state parliaments.
The president’s main functions are:
- represent Germany domestically and in international relations;
- propose a chancellor candidate to the Bundestag;
- appoint the elected chancellor and federal ministers;
- sign federal laws after the legislative procedure is completed;
- in the cases provided for by the Grundgesetz, decide on dissolving the Bundestag;
- act as a non-partisan figure and a public moral reference point.
In 2026, Frank-Walter Steinmeier holds the office of federal president. He was first elected in 2017 and re-elected for a second term in 2022.
What Matters Most to Remember
Germany’s political system is built on the distribution of power. Voters elect parliaments, parliaments form governments, the states participate in federal lawmaking through the Bundesrat, and the Federal Constitutional Court monitors compliance with the Grundgesetz. That is why the German model rests not on one center of power, but on a system of mutual checks, coalitions, and federalism.
