section_path: Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (1949–present)
section_name: Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (1949–present)
paragraph_text: Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (1949–present)
  
  The 1949 German constitution, the Basic Law (Grundgesetz), invests the chancellor (German, Bundeskanzler) with broad powers to initiate government policy. For that reason, some observers refer to the German political system as a "chancellor democracy". Even though the office of chancellor is often considered the most powerful in the German political system and is seen as such within the German public, it is only the third highest office, following the head of state (the president of Germany) and the president of the Bundestag, a position similar to the speaker of the federal parliament.
  
  Whichever major party (CDU /CSU or SPD) does not hold the chancellorship usually calls its leading candidate for the federal election "chancellor-candidate" (Kanzlerkandidat). The federal government (Bundesregierung) consists of the chancellor and cabinet ministers.