Presidentialization of a Parliamentary Democracy: the Elevated Position of the German Chancellor As a Result of the Mediatization of Politics

Mediacracy; the colonization of politics by the media; media-democracy: all these statements point to a gradual shift in the political logic of western democracies as a result of modern media. Using the chancellorship of Gerhard Schröder, the author describes an increasing presidentialization of the German parliamentary system as a result of a growing mediatization of politics. The paper analyses a change in the structure of the political constitution in favour of a predominant and autonomous position of the chancellor vis-à-vis his party, parliament and his cabinet. At the same time, a probable general trend of this process in western media democracies (i.e. France, the USA and Italy) is indicated. Thus, modern societal developments and their technical possibilities not only make possible but also foster an increasingly plebiscitary leadership approach. The publication is directed at readers interested in the political-constitutional problems arising from an increasingly mediatized political reality.