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
- NOVEMBER 16, 2000GermanyDEATH PENALTY
The Social Democrat parliamentary floor leader Peter...
The Social Democrat parliamentary floor leader Peter Struck and the parliamentary leaders of the Greens coalition partners, Kerstin Mueller and Rezzo Schlauch, called on Texas Governor George W
- NOVEMBER 14, 2000GermanyDEATH PENALTY
The United States admitted it had violated international...
The United States admitted it had violated international law in the case of two Germans executed in Arizona but rejected German demands to the World Court for reparations
- NOVEMBER 13, 2000GermanyDEATH PENALTY
Foreigners in the US run the risk of being jailed or...
Foreigners in the US run the risk of being jailed or even executed without help from home unless the International Court of Justice forces the country to respect international law, Germany said in its opening argument at the UN's highest court at The Hagu
- OCTOBER 26, 2000GermanyDEATH PENALTY
In a Bundestag debate regarding the 50th anniversary...
In a Bundestag debate regarding the 50th anniversary of the signing of the European Human Rights Convention, Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer of the Alliance 90/Greens urged further efforts to implement human rights
- JULY 18, 2000GermanyDEATH PENALTY
Germany protested the death sentence given to four...
Germany protested the death sentence given to four Chinese men for the murder of Jurgen Pfrang, a German executive with Daimler-Benz AG, his wife and their two children at their villa in Nanjing in April 2000
- JULY 10, 2000GermanyDEATH PENALTY
Thousands of Iranians demonstrated in Berlin against...
Thousands of Iranians demonstrated in Berlin against a visit by Iranian President Mohammad Khatami
- JUNE 30, 2000GermanyDEATH PENALTY
About 70 people demonstrated against human rights violations...
About 70 people demonstrated against human rights violations in China in front of the Chinese embassy in Berlin, coinciding with Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji's visit to Germany
- JUNE 24, 2000GermanyDEATH PENALTY
Over 20,000 Kurds demonstrated in Duesseldorf for the...
Over 20,000 Kurds demonstrated in Duesseldorf for the release of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan
- MAY 17, 2000GermanyDEATH PENALTY
Feleknas Uca, the German Democratic Socialist Party...
Feleknas Uca, the German Democratic Socialist Party (PDS) deputy congratulated President Sezer on his election in a written statement
- APRIL 26, 2000GermanyDEATH PENALTY
Germany cosponsored and voted in favour of the resolution...
Germany cosponsored and voted in favour of the resolution on the death penalty approved by the UN Commission on Human Rights on April 26 (no
- APRIL 7, 2000GermanyDEATH PENALTY
President Johannes Rau said that the European Union...
President Johannes Rau said that the European Union (EU) constituted a great perspective for Turkey, adding, "The EU is not only a markets union, first of all it is a union of values
- MARCH 7, 2000GermanyDEATH PENALTY
Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer met for talks with...
Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer met for talks with his Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharrazi and with Khatami