_#_Legislative branch: bicameral parliament (no official name for the two chambers as a whole) consists of an upper chamber or Federal Council (Bundesrat) and a lower chamber or Federal Diet (Bundestag)
_#_Judicial branch: Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht)
_#_Leaders: Chief of State—President Dr. Richard von WEIZSACKER (since 1 July 1984);
Head of Government—Chancellor Dr. Helmut KOHL (since 4 October 1982)
_#_Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Helmut KOHL, chairman;
Christian Social Union (CSU), Theo WAIGEL;
Free Democratic Party (FDP), Otto Count LAMBSDORFF, chairman;
Social Democratic Party (SPD), Bjoern ENGHOLM, chairman;
Green Party—Volmer LUDGER, Christine WEISKE, co-chairmen
(after the 2 December 1990 election the East and West German
Green Parties united);
Alliance 90 includes three parties—New Forum, Jens REICH, Sebastian
PFLUGBEIL, spokespersons; Democracy Now, Konrad WEISS, spokesperson;
and Initiative, Peace, and Human Rights Party, Gerd POPPE;
Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS, formerly the East German
Communist Party), Gregor GYSI, chairman;
Republikaner, Franz SCHONHUBER;
National Democratic Party (NPD), Martin MUSSGNUG;
Communist Party (DKP), Herbert MIES
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections: Federal Diet—last held 2 December 1990 (next to be held by December 1994); results—CDU 36.7%, SPD 33.5%, FDP 11.0%, CSU 7.1%, Green Party (West Germany) 3.9%, PDS 2.4%, Republikaner 2.1%, Alliance 90/Green Party (East Germany) 1.2%, other 2.1%; seats—(662 total, 656 statutory with special rules to allow for slight expansion) CDU 268, SPD 239, FDP 79, CSU 51, PDS 17, Alliance 90/Green Party (East Germany) 8; note—special rules for this election allowed former East German parties to win seats if they received at least 5% of vote in eastern Germany
_#_Communists: West—about 40,000 members and supporters; East—284,000 party members (December 1990)
_#_Other political or pressure groups: expellee, refugee, and veterans groups
_#_Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, BDEAC, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN,
COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-10, GATT, IADB,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NATO, NEA,
OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNHCR, UPU,
WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO