Chancellor of Germany (1949–present) clear focus of power in Germany. Under the provisions of the Basic Law giving him the power to set guidelines for all fields of policy, Adenauer arrogated nearly all major decisions to himself. He often treated his ministers as mere extensions of his authority rather than colleagues. While his successors have tended to be less domineering, the chancellor has acquired enough ex officio authority (in addition to his/her constitutional powers) that Germany is often described by constitutional law experts as a "chancellor democracy". The chancellor determines the composition of the Federal Cabinet. The President formally appoints and dismisses cabinet ministers,
Chancellor of Germany (1949–present) Council of Ministers of the GDR "(Vorsitzender des Ministerrats der DDR)". (See Leaders of East Germany.) West Germany's 1949 constitution, the Basic Law ("Grundgesetz"), invests the Federal Chancellor ("Bundeskanzler") with central executive authority. Since the 1961 election, the two major parties (CDU/CSU and SPD) call their leading candidates for the federal election "chancellor-candidate" ("Kanzlerkandidat"), although this is not an official term and any party can nominate a Kanzlerkandidat (even if that party has no chance at all of leading or even becoming part of a government coalition). The Federal Government ("Bundesregierung") consists of the Federal Chancellor and their cabinet ministers,