EUROPEUS

Regional elections in Germany have a particular, federal significance. The government representatives of the German Länder actually form the Federal Council (Bundesrat) which is the second chamber of the German parliamentary system, having some substantial influence on German politics, since the Federal Council must agree on any new law before it can be enforced. The founding fathers of the Federal Republic of Germany implemented this system to set up a control instance for the national parliament. So, the regional elections in Lower Saxony and Hessen on the last week-end also had a major and nationwide significance.