Chancellor of Germany (1949–present)

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The German title Bundeskanzler is also the title of the Chancellor of Austria, and the title of a Swiss federal official (List of Federal Chancellors of Switzerland).


The German head of government is known as the Chancellor (in German, Kanzler).

Since 1949 the formal title of the office has been Federal Chancellor (in German, Bundeskanzler). The current Federal Chancellor is Gerhard Schröder. The title of Bundeskanzler was also used in the 19th century, during the time of the North German Confederation.

From 1871 to 1949 (vacant since 1945), the office was named Federal Chancellor (in German, Reichskanzler).

See the article Chancellor for the etymology of the word.


Bundeskanzler (Federal Chancellor)

Federal Republic of Germany (since 1949)

Germany's 1949 constitution, the Basic Law (Grundgesetz), invests the Federal Chancellor (Bundeskanzler) with central executive authority. For that reason, some observers refer to the German political system as a "chancellor democracy". 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 the present chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, until he resigned the chairmanship of the SPD in 2004.

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 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 abused by parties of both political extremes, in order to oppose chancellors and undermine the democratic process.

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 current chancellor Gerhard Schröder, has 13 ministers.

Article 65 of the Basic Law sets forth three principles that define how the executive branch functions:

  • The "chancellor principle" makes the chancellor responsible for all government policies. Any formal policy guidelines issued by the chancellor are legally binding directives that cabinet ministers must implement. Cabinet ministers are expected to introduce specific policies at the ministerial level that reflect the chancellor's broader guidelines.
  • The "principle of ministerial autonomy" entrusts each minister with the freedom to supervise departmental operations and prepare legislative proposals without cabinet interference so long as the minister's policies are consistent with the chancellor's broader guidelines.
  • The "cabinet principle" calls for disagreements between federal ministers over jurisdictional or budgetary matters to be settled by the cabinet.

List of Federal Chancellors since 1949

North German Confederation (1867-1871)

The head of the federal government of the North German Confederation, which was created in 1867, also had the title Bundeskanzler. The position was held by the Prussian Minister-President Otto von Bismarck, until German unification under the German Empire in 1871.

Reichskanzler

Before World War II, the title in Germany was Reichskanzler listenⓘ, meaning Chancellor of the Realm. 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. The last of 15 Weimar chancellors was Adolf Hitler, appointed on January 30, 1933.

Reichskanzler of the 1871 German Empire:

Ebert continued to serve as Head of Government during the two 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 hold the title of Chancellor.

Reichskanzler of the 1919 Weimar Republic:

Reichskanzler of the Nazi Era

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