82. Who heads the German Federal Cabinet?

Answer options

1. the President of the Bundestag
2. the Federal President
3. the Federal Chancellor
4. the President of the Bundesrat

Explanation

Under Articles 62–65 of the Basic Law, the Federal Government consists of the Federal Chancellor and the Federal Ministers; the Chancellor leads the Federal Cabinet and holds the authority to set policy guidelines (the Chancellor principle). Ministers manage their portfolios independently within those guidelines (departmental principle), and disputes are resolved collegially in the cabinet (collegial principle). The Federal Government’s Rules of Procedure specify that the Chancellor convenes and chairs cabinet meetings. Historically, the Basic Law deliberately strengthened the chancellorship—backed by the constructive vote of no confidence (Art. 67)—as a corrective to the instability of the Weimar Republic and the excessive presidential dominance under Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution.