Bundesrat
Topic: Parliament: Composition, Powers and Law-making · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 5 "Legislature"
Meaning
The Bundesrat is Germany's Federal Council. It represents the country's 16 Länder (states) and has 69 seats, shared out by population bands: bigger states get more seats, up to a limit. Its members are not directly elected. They are ministers of the state governments, and each state's members vote together as a bloc on their government's instructions. Laws that affect state powers need its consent.
Example
Writers comparing it with India's Rajya Sabha point out a difference. Bundesrat members speak for their state governments. Class 11 says Rajya Sabha members "represent their parties more than they represent their States".
Don't confuse with
- US Senate: gives every state the same number of seats (two), and senators are directly elected. The Bundesrat gives seats by population band, and its members are state ministers.