Government

The government is one of the highest institutions of a state. She leads, directs and supervises the policy both internally and externally. A government is the rule of a Prime Minister and several ministers with their own ministries. In a presidential system, such as the United States, the head of state is also the head of government.

Often, the name synonymous with the executive government ( executive power ) of a state or state-like structure represents the government violence is also referred to as Gubernative.

Development

Etymology

The word government formed from the used since the 13th century Middle High German rule, which was about the lively Old French from the Latin livelier. This meant in the strict sense as much as direct or direct and perform in a wider sense, are derived. Today cars related words from the same origin are regent, regiment regime, Director, Rector and the grammatical technical term Directorate.

The Government of the corresponding Anglo-Saxon word government and the French gouvernement have their roots in the concept of Gubernator, which has its origins in the Greek κυβερνήτης, which means as much as helmsman.

Functional change

At the time of absolutism

The central and executive organ of state power arose in Europe with the development of bourgeois society. First approaches to this, including the centralized governance of the state and its population using the army, police, bureaucracy, judiciary, etc. were already in the absolute monarchy. Although the absolutist monarch strengthened their position by the centralization of government functions, they went to thereby simultaneously in financial dependence of the craft guilds and which in its origin located ligand bourgeoisie.

In the modern

In most European languages ​​the government term included until the second half of the 19th century, the full exercise of state power. Task of the government was to draw not only the state but the entire society. With the emergence of liberal constitutional states, the idea of ​​social self-control prevailed. The task of the government was limited from then on more and more on foreign policy and the state- organizational activity of law enforcement. In contrast to purely law- based management, the government has been doing mainly in the administration.

Other uses of the term

In the federal states of Germany is called the Safety Authority formed at the level of administrative districts of the State Administration Regional Council or District Government. In Bavaria, this authority is simply called government, for example, the government of Upper Bavaria.

An emergency government is in great times of crisis ( war / disasters) a very limited government of a country (see Regierungsbunker ).

Conclusion of a government

A government may differ depending on the form of government concluded:

• By appointment or inheritance: autocracy, aristocracy, monarchy
• By force: autocracy ( eg military dictatorship )

The eligibility of a member of the Government may be subject to certain conditions. Such criteria may be: age ( democracy ), gender ( democracy ), the acquis ( plutocracy ), the origin ( aristocracy, monarchy ).

In the theoretically possible anarchy there is no government and no hierarchy, but self-organization and self-management.

In Germany, the government concluded in a two step process. First, the Chancellor shall be proposed by the Federal President before the Bundestag to vote. It usually but it depends not necessarily on the preferred candidate of the strongest coalition. If a Chancellor elected, the remaining members of the Government determines ( Federal Minister ), who must be appointed by the Federal President. (Article 63 and Article 64 GG)

In Austria, the Federal Chancellor, who proposes the remaining members of the Federal Government are appointed by the President under Article 70 B- VG. Speaks the National Council of Government or individual members of the mistrust, the President immediately of their duties shall be relieved. In addition, the head of state can dismiss individual Federal Ministers on the proposal of the Federal Chancellor or the entire government 's discretion.

In the Netherlands, the King and the Queen had the task without an absolute majority to instruct after an election for a party a certain politicians to form a government until 2012. After much debate, the Dutch parliament decided in 2012 / him to take her this role.

In Greece, the procedure is as follows: the party that has gotten in a parliamentary election the most votes gets the first three days to form a government. If it fails, gets the second strongest party three days, etc. This procedure took place after the Greek general election 6 May 2012 international attention. The leaders of the three largest parties failed one after another. After that led President Karolos Papoulias in accordance with the Constitution last conversations with the leaders of all parties lead to it but to move if possible to form a government. Since this did not happen, he called new elections (which took place on June 17, 2012 instead ).

In Italy, commissioned after a general election of the Italian president a politician to form a government (see also Political system in Italy ).

Switzerland: see Switzerland's Political System # federal level

UK: see Political System of the United Kingdom (because of the electoral system in the UK there is usually a clear majority was formed in 2010 for the first time in living memory a coalition government, see Cabinet Cameron. ).

Forms and functions of

Governments can be classified according to different criteria. They can be distinguished

According to the state-building:

• European Commission ( the European Union)
• Central government ( in a central government )
• Federal Government ( in any state )
• State government ( in a state )

According to the distribution of power over the legislative bodies:

• Assembly Government ( Parliament governs itself)
• Parliamentary system of government ( relatively dependent on parliament)
• Semipräsidentielles system of government ( relatively independent of the Parliament)
• Presidential system of government (regardless of the Parliament)
• Parliament Hardcover executive power ( relatively dependent on parliament)

In a parliamentary system of government after the participation of parliamentarians in salary of government:

• The government alone constitutes the sole government of a party
• As a majority government, the ruling party holds the absolute majority in parliament.
• As a minority government it does not have this, but is supported by the majority of MPs.
• The concentration of government includes representatives of all parliamentary parties.
• The coalition government is the collaboration of two, or more, but not all parties, thereby achieve the absolute majority.

Except for the Assembly Government, the Government is also in the parliamentary system no executive committee of the Parliament, but an independent institution that makes its own decisions.

The organization within the government can

• Monocratically ( the head of government has the final say and is the only member of the government, so-called Chairman or Chancellor government ) or
• Collegial ( the Cabinet decides jointly in doubt ) be.

In the presidential form of government head of government has a superior power over the department heads. They decide factual issues not independently. They are only agents of the rank of Secretaries of State. An example of this system is the U.S. government. In the collegiate or cabinet system, each minister has his own department, but is subject to the collective decisions of the Cabinet. The head of government is also bound by the decisions, such as in the German federal government.

The duties of a government are determined usually by a constitution.