Germany is a federal democratic republic, made up of sixteen federal states and a coordinating federal government. The federal states each have their own separate government, complete with a prime minister, ministers and state secretaries, their own administration of justice and a separate constitution. At the head of the state stands the president. At the head of the government stands the chancellor. The current constitution dates from 1949 and is known as the Basic Law. After the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1990, it became the constitution of the united German people.

Head of state: President Horst Köhler

Head of government: Chancellor Gerhard Schröder