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Columbia Encyclopedia entry: Bundestag
Bundestagboon'dĕstäkh′, lower house of the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is a popularly elected body that elects the chancellor, passes all legislation (subject to executive veto on budget matters), and ratifies the most important treaties. It can remove the chancellor in a vote of no confidence by electing a new chancellor, but can be dissolved by the President if deadlocked on a new government. The upper house of the parliament, the Bundesrat [federal council] cannot be dissolved, represents the states (Länder), and receives all government draft legislation before the Bundestag. Its approval is required for most laws.
Wikipedia search results for: Bundestag
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bundestag is the parliament of Germany. It was established with Germany's constitution of 1949 and is the successor of the earlier Reichstag. Its current President is Norbert Lammert. With the dissolution of the German Confederation in 1866 and the founding of the German Empire in 1871, the Reichstag was established as the German parliament in Berlin. Two decades later, the current parliament building was erected. The Reichstag delegates were elected by direct and equal male suffrage. The Reichstag did not participate in the appointment of the Chancellor until the parliamentary reforms of October 1918. After the Revolution of November 1918 and the...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: Bundestag
Results 1 - 10  of 12
  • Schmidt, Helmut

    Schmidt, Helmut, 1918–, German political leader, chancellor of West Germany (1974–82). After serving in World War II, he entered politics and joined the Social Democratic party. He was elected...

  • Scheel, Walter

    Scheel, Walter, 1919–, German political leader, president of West Germany (1974–79). After serving in World War II, Scheel became interested in politics and joined the Free Democrats, a libera...

  • Genscher, Hans Dietrich

    Genscher, Hans Dietrich, 1927–, German politician; foreign minister (1974–92). A Liberal party member in East Germany, he left the East in 1952, joining the Free Democrats (FDP) in West German...

  • Schröder, Gerhard

    Schröder, Gerhard, 1944–, chancellor of Germany (1998–2005), b. Mosenburg, Germany. A telegenic lawyer and Social Democrat, he entered politics as a Marxist student in the 1960s and was electe...

  • Modrow, Hans

    Modrow, Hans, 1928–, German politician. He served in the German Army, and was a prisoner of war until 1949. Joining the Socialist Unity party (Communists) in East Germany in 1949, he became fi...

  • Strauss, Franz Josef

    Strauss, Franz Josef, 1915–88, West German political figure, leader of the Christian Social Union. He became prominent in the Bavarian Christian Social Union (the Bavarian wing of the Christia...

  • Brandt, Willy

    Brandt, Willy, 1913–92, German political leader. His name originally was Karl Herbert Frahm. Active in his youth in the Social Democratic party, after Adolf Hitler came to power (1933) he fled...

  • Kohl, Helmut

    Kohl, Helmut, 1930–, German politician, chancellor of West Germany (1982–1990) and reunified Germany (1990–98). He was named chairman of the Rhine-Palatinate Christian Democratic Union (CDU) i...

  • Adenauer, Konrad

    , 1876–1967, West German chancellor. A lawyer and a member of the Catholic Center party, he was lord mayor of Cologne and a member of the provincial diet of Rhine prov. from 1917 until 1933, w...

  • legislature

    Legislature, representative assembly empowered to enact statute law. Generally the representatives who compose a legislature are constitutionally elected by a broad spectrum of the population....

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