States (Länder) of Germany (Twilight of a New Era)

According to the Constitution Germany is a federal republic. The Lander (States) participate in the Federation by means of their delegates at the Bundesrat. The Länder designate and can recall at any moment their delegates at the Bundesrat.

A State's government must "conform to the principles of republican, democratic, and social government, based on the rule of law". The federal government can exercise authority only in those areas specified in the Constitution, in the rest of to the areas the länder have authority. However, federal law superseded or nullified länder law in the event of a conflict. Conflicts between the länder and the federal government are jurisdiction of the Federal Constitutional Court.

Usually the government of a state consists a Minister President (or Senatspräsident in Bremen and Hansestädte, Erster Bürgermeister in Hamburg and Lübeck, and Regierender Bürgermeister in Greater Berlin) and a Governing Council (or Senate in Bremen, Hamburg, Lübeck and Greater Berlin) and an elected assembly (Landtag or Bürgerschaft in Bremen, Hamburg, Lübeck and Hansestädte or Abgeordnetenhaus in Greater Berlin). The legislatures are popularly elected for four or five years (depending on the state), and the Minister-President is then chosen by a majority vote among the Landtag's members.

The Constitution states that the division of the federal territory into Länder ''.. may be revised to ensure that each Land be of a size and capacity to perform its functions effectively''. The creation or merge of new states can be done by federal legislation (has it happen with the creation of Thuringia and break up of Prussian and territorial consolidation of the Länder), by referendum (like the union of Baden-Wurttemberg, Meklenburg, Schleswig-Holstein and others) or länder agreement (Freie Hansestädte and Rhein-Ruhr).