The Battle for the Bundestag 2009
Election Glossary
The Federal Republic of Germany
The Federal Republic of Germany is a federal representative democracy. Its political system is laid out in the 1949 constitution, the Grundgesetz (Basic Law), which remained in effect with minor amendments after German reunification in 1990.
The Grundgesetz (Basic Law)
The constitution emphasizes the protection of individual liberty in an extensive catalogue of human rights and also divides powers both between the federal and state levels and between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The constitution regulates the basic provisions of the creation, organization and competence of the state as well as the relationship between an individual and the state. The first 19 articles of the Basic Law contain general provisions protecting the individual rights, such as freedom of religion. Those articles granting individual rights (Art. 1 and 20) cannot be amended. The Basic Law also establishes the constitutional bodies of the government such as the Bundespräsident, the Bundestag, the Bundesrat, the Federal government (with the Bundeskanzler) and the Federal Constitutional Court.
The Bundespräsident (The Federal President)
As the head of state of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Bundespräsident acts as the defender of the constitution and as a neutral non-partisan power. His/her duties thus are largely representative and ceremonial. The Bundespräsident appoints many of the federal employees and signs all laws passed by the Bundestag. The Bundespräsident also proposes the candidates for the office of Bundeskanzler to the Bundestag (taking in account the situation in parliament). In the case of a Vertrauensfrage (vote of confidence), the Bundespräsident can decide to dissolve the Bundestag and call for re-elections. He has twenty-one days to decide on this, after the Bundeskanzler has asked him to do so.
The Bundestag (The Parliament)
The Bundestag's main functions are to draft and pass laws, some of which need the approval of the Bundesrat; to elect the Bundeskanzler; and to keep check on the government. Its members are elected directly by the German people for four years. Usually all members of the Bundestag are also members of political parties. Since German parties rarely win an absolute majority, parties form coalitions with other parties, thus forming the federal government (the ruling coalition) and the opposition.
Grand Coalition
A grand coalition is a coalition between the two largest political parties, the CDU/CSU and the SPD. In the history of the Federal Republic of Germany there have been only two grand coalitions, including the one that forms the current government.
The Bundesrat (The Federal Council - Upper House)
The Bundesrat is the representation of the state governments at the federal level. It members are delegates of the 16 federal states (Bundesländer) and usually, but not necessarily, include the 16 Minister-Presidents themselves. The legislature has powers of exclusive jurisdiction and concurrent jurisdiction with the federal states in areas specifically enumerated by the Basic Law. The Bundestag bears the major responsibility. The necessity for the Bundesrat to concur on legislation is limited to bills treating revenue shared by federal and state governments and those imposing responsibilities on the states. The Bundesrat can act as a political counterweight to the Federal Government. Right now the majority of the federal states' parliaments are controlled by the CDU/CSU.
The Bundeskanzler (The Federal Chancellor)
The Bundeskanzler (Federal Chancellor) heads the Bundesregierung (Federal Cabinet) and thus the executive branch of the federal government. He/She is elected by and responsible to the Bundestag, Germany's parliament. Germany thus can be classified as a parliamentary system.
The Chancellor cannot be removed from office during a 4-year term unless the Bundestag has agreed on a successor. This Constructive Vote of No Confidence is intended to avoid the situation of the Weimar Republic in which the executive did not have enough support in the legislature to govern effectively, but the legislature was too divided to name a successor. Helmut Kohl (CDU) was in office for 16 years, 3 years longer than the first chancellor Konrad Adenauer (CDU). Willy Brandt and Helmut Schmidt were the first two SPD chancellors; the current chancellor, Angela Merkel, has been in office since 2005.
The Bundesverfassungsgericht (The Federal Constitutional Court)
Adherence to the Basic Law is guarded by the Federal Constitutional Court. Every citizen has the right to lodge a constitutional complaint if he feels that the state has infringed his basic rights. The court also rules on disputes between the central government and the states or between individual federal institutions. It judges whether federal and state laws can be reconciled with the Basic Law. It can also be called upon to rule on the constitutionality of the Bundestag's dissolution.
The Parties
There are at present six parties represented in the Bundestag. A party must have 5 percent of the vote or at least three direct elected deputies to be represented in the Bundestag. This rule, often called the "5 percent hurdle," is part of the constitution to prevent political fragmentation and strong minor parties, as this was considered a major reason for the inefficacy of the Weimar Republic.
The following six parties are represented in the Bundestag:
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CDU (Christian Democratic Party)
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CSU (Christian Social Union, jointly parliamentary with the CDU)
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SPD (Social Democratic party of Germany)
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FDP (Liberal Democratic Party)
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GERMAN POLITICAL PARTIES
CDU/CSU
The CDU/CSU (Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union) are the party of current Chancellor, Angela Merkel. "The Union," comprised of the CDU and its Bavarian counterpart CSU, won 35.2 percent of seats in the 2005 election, and entered a Grand Coalition with the SPD to form the government that is in place today. The CDU/CSU fall to the center-right on the political spectrum. Members promote neoliberal economic policy, fiscal conservatism, and national conservatism. Foreign policy decisions encourage both European integration and a close relationship with the United States. Both the CDU and CSU have roots in the Catholic Center Party.
To view the CDU website (German), please click here.
To view the CSU website (German), please click here.
SPD
The SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany) and the CDU (Christian Democratic Party) form the current federal government in a grand coalition under the leadership of Chancellor Angela Merkel. The SPD is Germany's oldest party and commits itself to Social Democracy supporting social market economy. Losing touch with the base voters (unionized workers and working class voters) and the emergence of a strong Die Linke is often seen as the reason for the SPD's currently weak performance which in November 2008 reached its lowest point in decades with only 25 percent support in polls. The party's current chairman is Franz Müntefering and its lead candidate is Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
To visit the SPD website (German), please click here.
FDP
The Liberal-Democratic Party, together with Bündnis 90/Die Grünen and Left Party, forms the current opposition. Traditionally the FDP forms coalitions with the CDU/CSU. The FDP represents the classical liberal movement in Germany. Since its founding in 1949 the party has struggled to create an independent profile. During the fifties and sixties the careers of several of its prominent members during the Nazi regime and a dispute about de-Nazification damaged the party's reputation. However, during the 1970s and 1980s the FDP provided two very significant ministers in a coalition, first with the SPD, and later the CDU/CSU. Guido Westerwelle has served as the party's chairman since 2001.
To visit the FDP website (German), please click here.
Bündnis 90/Die Grünen ("The Greens")
Bündnis '90/Die Grünen (Alliance '90/The Greens) is a party formed in the 1990s by the integration of two parties: Die Grünen (The Greens) from West Germany and Bündnis '90 from East Germany. Bündnis '90 and Die Grünen have held seats in the Bundestag since 1983. Their main platform, "The Future is Green," was adopted in March 2002 and marked a turning point in the history of the party, away from a more pacifist stance, including the demand of Germany's withdrawal from NATO. Environmentalism and sustainable development are the hallmarks of Bündnis '90/Die Grünen's platform. After losing four parliamentary seats in the 2005 election, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen were dropped from their position in the governing coalition and have been in opposition at the federal level since that time. The lead candidates for the federal election in 2009 are Jürgen Trittin and Renate Künast.
To see the Bündnis '90/Die Grünen website (German), please click here.
Die Linke
PDS (Party of Democratic Socialism) and WASG (Wahlalternative Arbeit und Soziale Gerechtigkeit (Electoral Alternative for Labor and Social Justice)) merged in 2007 to create a unified party called "Die Linke" ("The Left"). The PDS was the successor party of the SED, the Socialist Unity Party in the former German Democratic Republic. Although of minimal relevance in West Germany, the PDS was a strong party in the former east and was part of two state governments (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin). Many in the former GDR voted for the PDS because they feel this party could better represent their unique interests. The WASG was founded in January 2005 as a leftist alternative to the SPD and the PDS. The WASG's main focus was the strengthening of trade unions as well as focusing on preserving the social welfare state. Uniting WASG's and PDS's agendas, Die Linke commits itself to democratic socialism and in the 2005 general elections the party won 8.7 percent of the vote. Die Linke's current leaders are Lothar Bisky and Oskar Lafontaine.
To visit the Die Linke website (German), please click here.
To visit the Die Linke website (English), please click here.
GERMAN POLITICAL FIGURES
Lothar Bisky (The Left, Die Linke)
Lothar Bisky joined the Socialist Unity Party in 1963 and became a member of the Volkskammer (East German parliament) in East Germany in 1990 and has been a member of the state parliament in Brandenburg since then. He was chairman of the PDS from 1993 until his resignation in 2000 but was re-elected chairman in 2003. In June 2007 together with Oskar Lafontaine he became co-chairman of Die Linke, formed by a merger of the PDS and WASG.
Volker Kauder (Christian Democratic Union, CDU)
Volker Kauder's political career has included positions within the administration of one of the federal states and as a member of the Bundestag. Since 2005 he has been Chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag after a short term as Secretary General of the CDU.
Horst Köhler
Dr. Horst Köhler is the Bundespräsident of the Federal Republic of Germany. Before he was elected for the first time on May 23, 2004, he served as the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for four years. Dr. Köhler earned a doctorate in economics and political science from the University of Tübingen. After completing his education, he held various positions in Germany's Ministries of Economics and Finance between 1976 and 1989. Prior to taking up his position at the IMF, Dr. Köhler was the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, a post to which he was appointed in September 1998. He was President of the German Savings Bank Association from 1993 to 1998. From 1990 to 1993, he served as Germany's Deputy Minister of Finance, being responsible for international financial and monetary relations. Dr. Köhler is a member of the CDU and was re-elected as Bundespräsident on May 23, 2009.
Renate Künast (Alliance 90/The Greens, Bündnis '90/Die Grünen)
Renate Künast has been a member of the Green Party since 1979. After the 2005 general elections she became chairwoman of the parliamentary group of the party and was committed to programmatic developments of the Green Party regarding environmental, economic, and social policies. Together with Jürgen Trittin, Renate Künast was elected as lead candidate for the upcoming general election during the federal party convention in November 2008.
Oskar Lafontaine (The Left, Die Linke)
Oskar Lafontaine was a member of the SPD from 1966 until 2005. After completing his studies in physics in 1969, he served as prime minister of the Saarland from 1985 until 1998, and in 1998, was appointed federal Minister of Finance in the first government of Gerhard Schröder. On March 11, 1999, he resigned from all his official and party offices citing a "lack of cooperation" in the cabinet. He resigned from the SPD in May 2005 and joined the WASG in June 2005. Together with Lothar Bisky he became co-chairman of Die Linke after it was formed by uniting WASG and PDS in 2007.
Angela Merkel (Christian Democratic Union, CDU)
Dr. Angela Merkel's biography is linked to German history like no other current German politician. After her birth in 1954, her father, a protestant minister moved his family from Hamburg to the GDR, where she studied physics. After the collapse of the government of the GDR in 1989, Angela Merkel became a member of the newly founded party "Democratic Beginning" ("Demokratischer Aufbruch"). In 1990 she became a member of the CDU. In December 1990 she was elected to the Bundestag and became a member of the Federal Government under Helmut Kohl as Minister for Family and Youth. In 1994 she was appointed Minister for Environmental and Ecological Issues. Dr. Merkel became the first female chancellor when she was elected in 2005. She is the leader of the CDU and seeking a second term in office.
Franz Müntefering (Social Democratic Party of Germany, SPD)
Born in 1946, Franz Müntefering represents the traditional values of the SPD, since he made his way up from a simple member of the SPD (and working in a steel-processing company at the time) to a member of the Bundestag. He is also a member of the German Steel Union. Between 1998 and 1999 he was a minister in Gerhard Schröder's federal government. He is one of the few ardent critics of capitalism within the SPD. He has been Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) since October 18, 2008, a position he already held from 2004 to 2005. He was Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, as well as Vice-Chancellor, from 2005 to 2007.
Horst Seehofer (Christian Social Union, CSU)
Horst Seehofer has been a member of the Lower House of the Bundestag in Germany since 1980. He was Federal Minister for Health and Social Security from 1992 to 1998 and served as Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection in the cabinet of Angela Merkel from 2005 to 2008. In October 2008 he became chairman of the CSU and prime minister of Bavaria.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier (Social Democratic Party of Germany, SPD)
Frank-Walter Steinmeier has been a member of the SPD since 1975. In 1996, he became the Undersecretary of State and Director of the State Chancellery of Lower Saxony. In 1998 he became Undersecretary of State in the Office of the Chancellor following Gerhard Schröder's election victory and was eventually appointed head of the Office of the Chancellor in 1999. He has been Foreign Minister of Germany since November 22, 2005, in the Grand Coalition of Angela Merkel and on November 21, 2007, replaced Franz Müntefering as Vice-Chancellor. On September 7, 2008, Frank-Walter Steinmeier was designated as the candidate of the SPD for the office of Chancellor of Germany in the 2009 general election.
Jürgen Trittin (Alliance ‚90/The Greens, Bündnis '90/Die Grünen)
Jürgen Trittin held his first office in the Green Party in 1982 when he was the party's secretary in the Göttingen city council. Between 1998 and 2005 Jürgen Trittin was Federal Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. During this time he was involved in the decision to abandon the use of nuclear power by 2020. He is the Green Party's second lead candidate for the upcoming elections, together with Renate Künast.
Guido Westerwelle (Liberal-Democratic Party, FDP)
Dr. Guido Westerwelle is the leader of the Liberal-Democratic Party. He joined the FDP in 1980 and is a co-founder of the Junge Liberale (Young Liberals). After completing his law and doctoral studies, he was admitted to the bar in 1990. He has been Secretary General of the FDP since 1994 and was elected party chairman in 2001, the youngest person ever in this position. On his initiative, the FDP did not make a clear statement regarding a possible coalition partner prior to the national elections in 2002 and prescribed itself to be a 'fun party,' a statement that backfired as the FDP was then being perceived as ignorant and shallow. In the spring of 2006, he succeeded Wolfgang Gerhardt as leader of the Bundestag parliamentary group.
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