ree
direct mandates to gain representation; members serve four-year terms)
and the Federal Council or Bundesrat (68 votes; state governments are
directly represented by votes; each has 3 to 6 votes depending on
population and are required to vote as a block; term is not fixed)
elections: Federal Assembly-last held 16 October 1994 (next to be held
by 27 September 1998); Federal Council-last held NA (next to be held
NA)
election results: Federal Assembly-percent of vote by party-CDU 34.2%,
SPD 36.4%, Alliance 90/Greens 7.3%, CSU 7.3%, FDP 6.9%, PDS 4.4%,
Republicans 1.9%; seats by party-CDU 244, SPD 252, Alliance 90/Greens
49, CSU 50, FDP 47, PDS 30; note-one Greens member defected to the CDU
making the seat count CDU 245, Alliance 90/Greens 48; Federal
Council-current composition-votes by party - SPD-led states 41,
CDU-led states 27

Judicial branch: Federal Constitutional Court or
Bundesverfassungsgericht, half the judges are elected by the Bundestag
and half by the Bundesrat

Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Union or CDU
[Helmut KOHL, chairman]; Christian Social Union or CSU [Theodor
WAIGEL, chairman]; Free Democratic Party or FDP [Wolfgang GERHARDT,
chairman]; Social Democratic Party or SPD [Oskar LAFONTAINE,
chairman]; Alliance '90/Greens [Christa NICKELS]; Party of Democratic
Socialism or PDS [Lothar BISKY, chairman]; Republikaner [Rolf
SCHLIERER, chairman]; National Democratic Party or NPD [Gunter
DECKERT]; Communist Party or DKP [Rolf PRIEMER and Heinz STEHR,
cochairpersons]

Political pressure groups and leaders: employers' organizations,
expellee, refugee, trade unions, and veterans groups

International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB,
Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN,
EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINUGUA,
MTCR, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNOMIG, UPU,
WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Juergen CHROBOG
chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 298-4000
FAX: [1] (202) 298-4249
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los
Angeles, Miami, New York, Sa