Germany
2026
- GOVERNMENT
- federal parliamentary republic
- CONSTITUTION
- May 23, 1949, became the constitution of unified Germany on October 3, 1990; amended several times, last in 2020
- LEGAL SYSTEM
- civil law; recognizes ICJ jurisdiction as mandatory with reservations
- LEGISLATIVE SYSTEM
- bicameral Parliament (Parlament), Federal Assembly (Bundestag) and Federal Council (Bundesrat)
- JUDICIAL SYSTEM
- Federal Court of Justice (the court is composed of 127 judges, including the court president, vice presidents, presiding judges, other judges and organized into 25 senates divided into 12 civil chambers, 5 criminal chambers, and 8 special chambers); Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (composed of 2 senates each divided into 3 chambers, each with a president and 8 members); Federal Administrative Court; Federal Finance Court; Federal Labor Court; Federal Social Court; each of the 16 federal states or Länder has its own constitutional court and a hierarchy of ordinary (civil, criminal, family) and specialized (administrative, financial, labor, social) courts; two English-speaking commercial courts were opened at the end of 2020 in the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg: the English-speaking commercial court in Stuttgart and the English-speaking commercial court in Mannheim
RELIGIONS
Roman Catholic 26%, Protestant 23.7%, Muslim 3.6%, other 4.8%, none 41.9% (estimate 2021)
From the country
- DECEMBER 18, 2003GermanyDEATH PENALTY
Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said that Germany...
Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said that Germany would oppose any decision to execute fallen Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, after talks with leaders of Iraq's interim Governing Council
- OCTOBER 18, 2003GermanyDEATH PENALTY
Thousands of Iranians demonstrated in the German city...
Thousands of Iranians demonstrated in the German city of Dortmund in support of the leader of the Iranian opposition movement, the People's Mujahedeen, under investigation in France over alleged terrorist links
- JULY 21, 2003GermanyDEATH PENALTY
A German court approved the extradition of Mohammed...
A German court approved the extradition of Mohammed Ali Hassan al-Moayad, a Yemeni cleric, and his assistant, Mohammed Mohsen Yahya Zayed, to face charges in the United States of supplying weapons, militants and millions of dollars in funding to the al-Qa
- APRIL 24, 2003GermanyDEATH PENALTY
Germany was a cosponsor and voted in favour of the...
Germany was a cosponsor and voted in favour of the resolution on the death penalty approved by the UN Commission on Human Rights, in Geneva
- JANUARY 1, 2003GermanyDEATH PENALTY
The Federal Republic of Germany abolished the death...
The Federal Republic of Germany abolished the death penalty in 1949
- JANUARY 1, 2003GermanyDEATH PENALTY
Germany has signed but not yet ratified Protocol No...
Germany has signed but not yet ratified Protocol No 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms banning the death penalty in all circumstances
- JANUARY 1, 2003GermanyDEATH PENALTY
In 1999 Germany filed a case with the International...
In 1999 Germany filed a case with the International Court of Justice against the United States for violating the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963 by not informing its consular officials of the arrest and murder convictions of two German-bor
- OCTOBER 29, 2002GermanyDEATH PENALTY
The Stop the death penalty through Internet campaign...
The Stop the death penalty through Internet campaign launch in Nuremberg was attended by city mayor Horst Förther (SPD), Elisabetta Zamparutti; HOC Board Member , Emma Bonino, MEP, Sophia Hedmark, Miss Sweden World and Peter Beat of the Pocket Opera Compa
- OCTOBER 23, 2002GermanyDEATH PENALTY
The federal government basically supports Turkey in...
The federal government basically supports Turkey in its efforts to get accepted into the EU
- OCTOBER 22, 2002GermanyDEATH PENALTY
Mounir Motassadeq's trial, a 28-year-old Moroccan who...
Mounir Motassadeq's trial, a 28-year-old Moroccan who has acknowledged knowing the hijackers, detained in Hamburg, could test the extent of U
- OCTOBER 22, 2002GermanyDEATH PENALTY
Mounir Motassadeq's trial, a 28-year-old Moroccan who...
Mounir Motassadeq's trial, a 28-year-old Moroccan who has acknowledged knowing the hijackers, detained in Hamburg, could test the extent of U
- SEPTEMBER 16, 2002GermanyDEATH PENALTY
Pakistan said it was prepared to extradite key al Qaeda...
Pakistan said it was prepared to extradite key al Qaeda suspect Ramzi Binalshibh to the United States after completing its own investigations and legal formalities