Germany: Government
Key Figures
- Chief of State:
- President Frank-Walter Steinmeier
- Head of Government:
- Chancellor Olaf Scholz
Overview
- Government Name:
- Federal Republic of Germany
- Constitution:
- Adopted: 1949; democratic constitution emphasizes the protection of individual liberty and division of powers in a federal structure. Influenced both by Roman and German law traditions.
- Government Type:
- Federal Republic
Index of Economic Freedom
Grades each country on a scale of 0 to 100, based on ten freedoms, with 100 representing the greatest amount of economic autonomy from government intervention. Source: Heritage Foundation (2023)
Country Risk Rating
A3
Changes in generally good but somewhat volatile political and economic environment can affect corporate payment behavior. A basically secure business environment can nonetheless give rise to occasional difficulties for companies. Corporate default probability is quite acceptable on average. Source: Coface (2022)
Government Branches
Main Powers | Election Process | Election Cycle 1 | |
---|---|---|---|
Executive | Consists of the federal president and the federal cabinet. |
The federal president is elected by indirect vote, while the chancellor is elected by parliament. |
President: 5 years; Chancellor: 4 years |
Judicial | Consists of the federal constitutional court, who has responsibility for supreme court decisions. |
One half is elected by each division of parliament. |
12 year terms with mandatory retirement age of 68 |
Legislative | The Bundestag and Bundesrat are responsible for legislation. |
The federal council (Bundesrat) has 69 members who are filled by regional legislatures. The federal diet (Bundestag) are elected by a plurality vote in single-member constituencies and are allocated by popular vote through a mixed-member proportional system. |
4 years |
Regional Trade Blocs
International Organization Participation [2]
Environmental Agreements [3]
Tax Information [2]
- Tax Authority:
- German Ministry of Finance
- Tax Name:
- VAT
Sources:
- ElectionGuide http://www.electionguide.org/
- EY, http://www.ey.com
- CIA World Factbook, https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/
- U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/