• KISSmyOS@feddit.org
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    2 months ago

    It’s fascinating how Germany has a very similar separation of powers between the President and the Chancellor, on paper.
    The President is the most powerful person in the country, officially. They can veto any law, dissolve the parliament, call for re-elections and nominate the Chancellor.
    But in reality and by convention, the President’s entire job is to shake hands, and give new-years eve speeches about putting the country’s well-being above party politics, which are universally applauded, then ignored.

    If a President were to actually use their powers to their full extent, it would trigger a constitutional crisis. They’re simply not supposed to do that.

    • catloaf@lemm.ee
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      2 months ago

      Sounds like how it was supposed to be in the US, until Congress gradually ceded authority to the executive branch. Which is good in terms of executive agencies like the EPA, but not good in terms of actually running the country itself long-term. Glad to hear it’s working in Germany, at least for now. Hopefully you guys don’t elect a president from AfD or whatever, because you’d probably end up with problems like ours.