| German Chancellor |
Website Links For Chancellor |
Information AboutGerman Chancellor |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CHANCELLOR OF GERMANY | |
| chancellors of germany | |
| executive branch of the german government | |
| government of germany | |
| lists of office-holders | |
| germany, chancellor | |
|
The German Head Of Government has been known as the Chancellor ( German : ''Kanzler'') ever since the creation of the post. Due to his administrative tasks the head of the chapel of the imperial palace was called Chancellor. The Archbishop Of Mainz was German Chancellor until the end of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 while the Archbishop Of Cologne was Chancellor of Italy and the Archbishop Of Trier of Burgundy. These three Archbishops were also Prince- Elector s of the empire. Already in medieval times the Chancellor had political power like Willigis of Mainz (Archchancellor 975-1011, regent for Otto III 991-994) or Rainald Von Dassel (Chancellor 1156-1162 and 1166-1167) under Frederick I . From 1867 to 1871 the title ''Bundeskanzler'' (federal chancellor) was used in the German Language , during the time of the North German Confederation . From 1871 to 1945, the office was named ''Reichskanzler'' (imperial chancellor). Since 1949 the formal title of the office in the German language has been ''Bundeskanzler'' again. The correct style of address in German is ''Herr Bundeskanzler'' for men and ''Frau Bundeskanzlerin'' for women. When the office was called ''Reichskanzler'', the official incumbent of the office was to be adressed as "Herr Reichskanzler". This also applied to former chancellors. When addressing former Chancellor Helmut Kohl, the current Chancellor Angela Merkel used the style "Werter Herr Bundeskanzler". See the article Chancellor for the Etymology of the word. ''BUNDESKANZLER'' (NORTH GERMAN CONFEDERATION 1867-1871) The head of the federal government of the North German Confederation , which was created in 1867, had the title ''Bundeskanzler''. The position was held by the Prussia n Minister-President Otto Von Bismarck , until German unification under the German Empire in 1871. ''REICHSKANZLER'' (1871-1945) Before World War II , the title in Germany was ''Reichskanzler'' . In the 1871 German Empire , the Chancellor served both as the Emperor's first minister, and as presiding officer of the Bundesrat , the upper chamber of the German parliament. He was neither elected by nor responsible to Parliament (the '' Reichstag ''). Instead, the Chancellor was appointed by the Emperor. This was only changed on October 29, 1918, with an amendment to the 1871 constitution. However, the change could not prevent the outbreak of the revolution a few days later. The new constitution of the 1919 Weimar Republic said that the Chancellor was appointed by the German President, but that the parliament had the right to dismiss a chancellor or any of the ministers. In fact many of the Weimar governments depended highly on the cooperation of the President, due to uncertain circumstances in the parliament. Chancellors of the German Empire (1871-1919) :On November 9, 1918, Chancellor Max von Baden handed over his office to Friedrich Ebert . Ebert continued to serve as Head of Government during the three months between the end of the German Empire in November 1918 and the first gathering of the National Assembly in February 1919, but did not use the title of Chancellor. Chancellors of the Weimar Republic (1919-1933) Chancellors of the Third Reich (1933-1945) ''BUNDESKANZLER'' (SINCE 1949) Germany's 1949 Constitution , the Basic Law (''Grundgesetz''), invests the Chancellor (''Bundeskanzler'') with central executive authority. For that reason, some observers refer to the German political system as a "chancellor democracy". The major party (CDU/CSU or SPD) who does not hold chancellorship, usually calls their leading candidate for the federal election " Chancellor-candidate " (''Kanzlerkandidat''). The Federal Government (''Bundesregierung'') consists of the chancellor and his or her Cabinet Ministers . The chancellor's authority emanates from the provisions of the Basic Law and from his or her status as leader of the Party (or coalition of parties) holding a majority of seats in the '' Bundestag '' (federal parliament). With the exception of Helmut Schmidt , the chancellor has usually also been chairman of his own party. This was the case with Chancellor Gerhard Schröder from 1999 until he resigned the chairmanship of the SPD in 2004. The German post-war chancellors were officially adressed as "Herr Bundeskanzler", however Angela Merkel is officially adressed as "Frau Bundeskanzlerin", the female form of the title. Also the mixed form "Frau Bundeskanzler" is used often; this is allowed by German grammar, as it regards "Bundeskanzler" as a ''generic masculine'', referring to a grammatical use of the male form when describing a group containing both sexes. Appointment mechanism Every four years, after national elections and the convocation of the newly elected members of the ''Bundestag'', the chancellor is elected by a majority of the members of the ''Bundestag'' upon the proposal of the Federal President (''Bundespräsident''). This vote is one of the few cases where a majority of all elected members of the ''Bundestag'' must be achieved, as opposed to a mere majority of those that are currently assembled. This is referred to as the ''Kanzlermehrheit'' (chancellor's majority), and is designed to ensure the establishment of a stable government. It has in the past occasionally forced ill or pregnant members to have to attend parliament when a party's majority was only slim. Unlike regular voting by the ''Bundestag'', the vote to elect the chancellor is by Secret Ballot . This is intended to ensure that the chancellor's majority does not depend on members of his party only outwardly showing support. If the nominee of the Federal President is not elected, the ''Bundestag'' may elect its own nominee within fourteen days. If no-one is elected within this period, the ''Bundestag'' will attempt an election. If the person with the highest number of votes has a majority, the president must appoint him. If the person with the highest number of votes does not have a majority, the president may either appoint him or call new elections for the ''Bundestag''. The chancellor is the only member of the federal government elected by the ''Bundestag''. The other cabinet ministers are chosen by the chancellor himself, although they are formally nominated by the Federal President. Votes of no-confidence For more details, see Constructive Vote Of No Confidence Unlike in other parliamentary legislatures, the ''Bundestag'' cannot remove the chancellor simply with a Motion Of No Confidence . Instead, the early removal of a chancellor is only possible when it simultaneously agrees on a successor. In order to garner legislative support in the ''Bundestag'', the chancellor can also call for a regular Motion Of Confidence , either combined with a legislative proposal or as a standalone vote. Only if such a vote fails may the president dissolve the ''Bundestag''. This procedure exists to avoid the situation that existed in the Weimar Republic , when votes of no-confidence were over-used or abused by parties. The chancellor's role The chancellor determines the composition of the Federal Cabinet . The Federal President formally appoints and dismisses cabinet ministers, at the recommendation of the chancellor; no parliamentary approval is needed. According to the Basic Law, the chancellor may set the number of cabinet ministers and dictate their specific duties. Chancellor Ludwig Erhard had the largest cabinet, with twenty-two ministers in the mid-1960s. Helmut Kohl presided over 17 ministers at the start of his fourth term in 1994; the 2002 cabinet, the second of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder , had 13 ministers and the Angela Merkel cabinet as of November 22 2005 has 15. Article 65 of the Basic Law sets forth three principles that define how the executive branch functions:
List of Chancellors since 1949 1: Term of Office includes times where the chancellors were only acting chancellors after a new election or for the time after they resigned and no new chancellor had been elected yet. 2: Willy Brandt asked the federal president not to be acting chancellor after his resignation so the vice chancellor Walter Scheel was acting chancellor for the time until Helmut Schmidt's election. SEE ALSO FURTHER READING Books
Articles
EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|