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
- OCTOBER 19, 2001GermanyDEATH PENALTY
Taliban judges are expected to issue a verdict next...
Taliban judges are expected to issue a verdict next week in the trial of eight foreigners held in jail in Kabul since August on charges of spreading Christianity, their lawyer said
- OCTOBER 6, 2001GermanyDEATH PENALTY
Western members of the Shelter Now relief organization...
Western members of the Shelter Now relief organization currently held in Afghanistan might be kept by the Taleban as human shields
- OCTOBER 6, 2001GermanyDEATH PENALTY
Berlin and Washington rejected an offer by the Taliban...
Berlin and Washington rejected an offer by the Taliban militia to release aid workers [Georg Taubmann, Silke Duerrkopf, Margrit Stebner and Kati Jelinek] in return for a withdrawal of military threats on Afghanistan [following the September 11 terrorist a
- SEPTEMBER 19, 2001GermanyDEATH PENALTY
September 19; 2001: Chancellor Gerhard Schroder ruled...
September 19; 2001: Chancellor Gerhard Schroder ruled out any "adventures", amid reports that America was asking for Germany's participation in a daring mission to free eight Western aid workers imprisoned in Afghanistan
- JUNE 27, 2001GermanyDEATH PENALTY
The World Court faulted the United States for violating...
The World Court faulted the United States for violating international rights of two German-born brothers executed in 1999 and ordered Washington to reconsider convictions in any similar cases
- JUNE 27, 2001GermanyDEATH PENALTY
The World Court faulted the United States for violating...
The World Court faulted the United States for violating international rights of two German-born brothers executed in 1999 and ordered Washington to reconsider convictions in any similar cases
- APRIL 25, 2001GermanyDEATH 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 on April 25, 2001
- APRIL 6, 2001GermanyDEATH PENALTY
German Socialist Deputy Ozan Ceyhun, of Turkish origin,...
German Socialist Deputy Ozan Ceyhun, of Turkish origin, said the National Program was a positive step for Turkey's EU membership since the Turkish government had made self criticism on many issues for the first time with this program
- MARCH 24, 2001GermanyDEATH PENALTY
Approximately 300 neo-nazi protesters rallied in favour...
Approximately 300 neo-nazi protesters rallied in favour of the re-introduction of capital punishment for paedophiles and child murderers
- JANUARY 1, 2001GermanyDEATH PENALTY
The Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany at Art
The Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany at Art
- DECEMBER 14, 2000GermanyDEATH PENALTY
The Greens' human rights expert, Claudia Roth, said...
The Greens' human rights expert, Claudia Roth, said the election of George W
- DECEMBER 7, 2000GermanyDEATH PENALTY
The Bundestag, called for the United States to abolish...
The Bundestag, called for the United States to abolish the death penalty, defining the practice as "inhuman" and "scarcely efficient"