131. In Germany, a mayor is …

Answer options

1. the principal/head of a school.
2. the head/CEO of a bank.
3. the head of a municipality.
4. the chair of a political party.

Explanation

Under the Länder’s municipal constitutions, the mayor is an organ of the municipality and head of the local administration; he or she represents the municipality in and out of court. Article 28(2) of the Basic Law guarantees municipal self-government; within that framework the mayor implements council decisions and conducts day-to-day administration. Depending on Land law, mayors are elected directly by the people or by the council; in larger cities the title is often Oberbürgermeister (Lord Mayor). The mayor is subject to the Land’s legality supervision (Rechtsaufsicht), not to party-political instructions.