The emergence and development of German parliamentarism

Abstract

German parliamentarism is characterized by the supremacy of the parliament in the legislative sphere and its leading position in the system of higher state authorities. The process of formation of the German parliament has a long history. The key stages of parliamentary development included the establishment of the first parliaments in the Middle Ages, the impact of revolutionary events, the peculiarities of the Weimar Republic and the formation of the Federal Republic of Germany. The parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany is bicameral. The upper house is called the Bundesrat (Federal Council). The lower house is called the Bundestag. German parliamentarism is characterized by legal and informal features. The formal features of German parliamentarism are the separation of powers, the parliament’s function of controlling the government, and the special status of parliamentarians. The division of state power in Germany is flexible. The Bundestag is assigned the function of controlling the activities of the government. In order to effectively perform this function, deputies have the right to receive comprehensive information about all aspects of state policy. For this purpose, special tools of parliamentary control are provided, such as «Small and Large Inquiries» and «Hour of Questions to the Government» («Topical Hour»), which allow deputies to receive answers to their questions and express comments on the work of the government. In order to exercise effective parliamentary control over the activities of the government, it is also envisaged to create special committees. The legal status of deputies of the Federal Republic of Germany is determined by the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany of 1949. The main constitutional principles of the status of German deputies are the principle of a free or mandatory mandate, parliamentary indemnity, parliamentary immunity, and the incompatibility of a parliamentarian’s mandate with other activities. The informal features of German parliamentarism are not directly enshrined in legislation. They concern the parliament itself and are manifested in its structure, the level of professionalism and discipline of parliamentarians, their activities in national (rather than personal and narrow group) interests. These features largely depend on the party and electoral systems and the actual mechanisms of parliamentary functioning. Парламентаризм Німеччини характеризується верховенством парламенту в законодавчій сфері та його провідним становищем в системі вищих органів державної влади. Процес становлення німецького парламенту має давню історію. Ключовими етапи становлення парламентаризму було, зокрема, утворення перших парламентів у Середньовіччі, вплив революційних подій, особливості Веймарської республіки та становлення Федеративної Республіки Німеччини.