resident Johannes RAU (since 1 July 1999) elections:
all members of the Federal Assembly and an equal number of delegates
elected by the state parliaments; election last held 23 May 1999 (next
to be held 23 May 2004); chancellor elected by an absolute majority
of the Federal Assembly for a four-year term; election last held 27
September 1998 (next to be held 22 September 2002) head of government:
or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the chancellor election results: Johannes RAU elected
president; percent of Federal Convention vote - 57.6%; Gerhard SCHROEDER
elected chancellor; percent of Federal Assembly - 52.7%

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of
the Federal Assembly or Bundestag (656 seats usually, but 666 for the
1998 term; note - the number of seats will be reduced to 598 for 2002
elections; elected by popular vote under a system combining direct and
proportional representation; a party must win 5% of the national vote
or three direct mandates to gain representation; members serve four-year
terms) and the Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 votes; state governments
are directly represented by votes; each has 3 to 6 votes depending
on population and are required to vote as a block) elections: Federal
Assembly - last held 27 September 1998 (next to be held 22 September
2002); note - there are no elections for the Bundesrat; composition
is determined by the composition of the state-level governments; the
composition of the Bundesrat has the potential to change any time one
of the 16 states holds an election election results: Federal Assembly -
percent of vote by party - SPD 40.9%, Alliance '90/Greens 6.7%, CDU/CSU
35.1%, FDP 6.2%, PDS 5.1%; seats by party - SPD 294, Alliance '90/Greens
47, CDU/CSU 245, FDP 43, PDS 37; Federal Council - current composition
- NA

Judicial branch: Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht
(half the judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat)

Political parties and leaders: Alliance '90/Greens [Claudia ROTH and
Fritz KUHN]; Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Angela MERKEL]; Christian
Social Union or CSU [Edmund STOIBER, chairman]; Free Democratic Party
or FDP [Guido WESTERWELLE, chairman]; Party of Democratic Socialism or
PDS [Gregor GYSI]; Social Democratic Party or SPD [Gerhard SCHROEDER,
chairman]

Political pressure groups and leaders: employers' organizations;
exp