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This article is part of the series Politics of Germany |
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The Bundestag ("Federal Diet") is the parliament of Germany. It was established with West Germany's constitution of 1949 (the Grundgesetz), and is the successor of the earlier Reichstag.
Originally convened in Bonn in 1949, since 1999, the Bundestag has assembled in the Reichstag building in Berlin, which was used for the German parliament (then known as the Reichstag, since the country was also called a "Reich") until it burned in 1933, shortly after Hitler came to power. In the late 1990's, the building underwent a significant renovation under the lead of architect Sir Norman Foster. In English usage, the parliament itself is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Reichstag by people who confuse the institution with the building in which it is housed.
Prior to 1949, the term "Bundestag" was used for the governing body of the German Confederation from 1815-1866. This body met in Frankfurt and was presided over by the Austrian delegate. As one of the chief instruments of the forces of reaction, it was dissolved during the Revolution of 1848 but reconvened in 1850. Aside from the name, it has no connection to the modern Bundestag, which is elected by the people, rather than appointed by the various regional kings, archdukes, and princes as was the case with its 19th century predecessor.
Together with the Bundesrat, the Bundestag forms the legislative branch of the German political system; Germany does not have a bicameral parliament in the strict sense though (see Bundesrat for details).
Although most legislation is initiated by the executive branch, the Bundestag considers the legislative function its most important responsibility, concentrating much of its energy on assessing and amending the government's legislative program. The committees (see below) play a prominent role in this process. Plenary sessions provide a forum for members to engage in public debate on legislative issues before them, but they tend to be well attended only when significant legislation is being considered.
The Bundestag members are the only federal officials directly elected by the public; the Bundestag in turn elects the BundeskanzlerThe head of government in Germany has traditionally been called Kanzler ( Chancellor). The name of the office today is Bundeskanzler (Federal Chancellor); from 1871 to 1945, it was Reichskanzler (Imperial Chancellor). During the period of the Norddeutsche and, in addition, exercises oversight of the executive branch on issues of both substantive policy and routine administration. This check on executive power can be employed through binding legislation, public debates on government policy, investigations, and direct questioning of the chancellor or cabinet officials. For example, the Bundestag can conduct a question hour (Fragestunde), in which a government representative responds to a previously submitted written question from a member. Members can ask related questions during the question hour. The questions can concern anything from a major policy issue to a specific constituent's problem. Use of the question hour has increased markedly over the past forty years, with more than 20,000 questions being posed during the 1987-90 term. Understandably, the opposition parties are active in exercising the parliamentary right to scrutinize government actions.
One striking difference when comparing the Bundestag with the United States CongressThe United States Congress is the legislative branch of the United States federal government. The structure and responsibilities of Congress are defined in Article One of the United States Constitution. The United States Congress is bicameral, meaning tha is the lack of time spent on serving constituents in Germany. In part, that difference results from the fact that only 50 percent of Bundestag deputies are directly elected to represent a specific geographic district; the other half are elected as party representatives (see below). The political parties are thus of great importance in Germany's electoral system, and many voters tend not to see the candidates as autonomous political personalities but rather as creatures of the party. Interestingly, constituent service seems not to be perceived, either by the electorate or by the representatives, as a critical function of the legislator. A practical constraint on the expansion of constituent service is the limited personal staff of Bundestag deputies.