The country's Constitution, introduced in West Germany in 1949, has only applied in united Germany since October of 1990.4 The Federal President of Germany, currently Joachim Gauck, is the country's Head of State5; while the Chancellor, currently Angela Merkel, is the country's Head of Government. 6 .
The experiences of Weimar, the period that led to Nazi Germany, affected the Federal President's position over the years. In the past, Presidents had powers that gave them the ability to annul basic laws as well as rule with emergency law.7 After government reconstruction and unification in 1990 there was a decrease of power for the presidential role. "The position of the Federal President was deliberately conceived as weak and it can well be questioned whether it would have been more logical within the system to omit this office altogether."8 The abuse of powers succeeding the Weimar Republic resulted in limited powers for the presidential position, leading to the role to become more ceremonial. The term limit for the president is two consecutive five-year terms. 9 The country of France is made up of 27 administrative divisions known as regions. Its bicameral Semi-Presidential system of government consists of the President, Cabinet, and Prime Minister. The country governs by the institutions of the fifth republic constitution. France's President, currently Francois Hollande, is the head of the state; whereas, the Prime Minister, presently Manual Valls, is the country's head of government. 10 The presidential role in France's Semi-Presidential system is more important and powerful than that of a parliamentary system. Under the French system, the president has more control over the government. Similar to Germany, the presidential term limit is five consecutive terms. 11.
Historically, the presidential role in France has changed over the years. Currently the country's system abides by the Fifth Republic.
