Germany’s Government: Chancellor Democracy Germany’s Government: Chancellor Democracy Essay, Research Paper Germany’s Government: Chancellor Democracy Steve Rice Political Science 90 Computer Project The German system of government is often referred to as a “Chancellor democracy’ owing to the powers and responsibilities of the Federal Chancellor, head of federal government. The Chancellor is directly elected by the bundestag, Germany’s parliament, upon the proposal of a candidate from the Federal President, currently Prof. Dr. Roman Herzog.
The Chancellor is the only member of the government elected by the parliament and he alone is accountable to it. The Chancellor chooses the federal ministers that will compose the cabinet and proposes them to the President for appointment or dismissal. He also determines the number of ministers and their responsibilities. The guidelines of government policy are set by the Chancellor, placing him in a particularly strong position in government.
That the Chancellor is accountable to parliament is evidenced by the inclusion of the? constructive vote of no confidence? in the Basic Law. A vote of no confidence in the the current Chancellor must also be a vote of confidence for a successor. It was in this way that the current Chancellor, Dr. Helmut Kohl, was elected in 1982.
