Table of Contents
How is the Bundestag elected?
The Bundestag is elected every four years by German citizens over the age of 18. Elections use a mixed-member proportional representation system which combines first-past-the-post elected seats with a proportional party list to ensure its composition mirrors the national popular vote.
What is the role of the Bundestag?
The most important tasks performed by the Bundestag are the legislative process and the parliamentary scrutiny of the government and its work. The Members of the German Bundestag also decide on the federal budget and deployments of the Bundeswehr (Federal Armed Forces) outside Germany.
How does the German parliamentary system work?
Politics of Germany are based on a federal parliamentary democratic republic. The government is elected by the people in elections where everyone has an equal vote. The constitution is called the Grundgesetz. The ministers of the government are members of the parliament, and need parliamentary support to stay in power.
How does a proportional representation system work?
Proportional representation (PR) characterizes electoral systems in which divisions in an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The relative vote for each list determines how many candidates from each list are actually elected.
Who elects the Bundesrat?
The composition of the Bundesrat is different from other similar legislative bodies representing states (such as the Russian Federation Council or the U.S. Senate). Bundesrat members are not elected—either by popular vote or by the state parliaments—but are delegated by the respective state government.
What power does the Bundesrat have?
The Bundesrat participates in legislation, alongside the Bundestag, the directly elected representation of the people of Germany, with laws affecting state competences and all constitutional changes requiring the consent of the body.
Is the US a proportional representation?
The Constitution provides for proportional representation in the U.S. House of Representatives and the seats in the House are apportioned based on state population according to the constitutionally mandated Census.