Question 5
A party in the German Bundestag wants to abolish press freedom. Is this possible?
German original: Eine Partei im Deutschen Bundestag will die Pressefreiheit abschaffen. Ist das möglich?. In the test, all questions are asked in German.
Answer options
- Yes, if more than half of the members of the Bundestag are in favor of it.
- Yes, but two thirds of the members of the Bundestag must be in favor of it.
- No, because freedom of the press is a fundamental right. It cannot be abolished. — Correct answer
- No, because only the Federal Council can abolish freedom of the press.
Explanation
Freedom of the press (Art. 5 of the Basic Law) is one of the fundamental rights that cannot be changed. The eternity clause (Art. 79, paragraph 3 of the Basic Law) protects these fundamental rights from being abolished – even by a parliamentary majority. Therefore, no party in the Bundestag can abolish freedom of the press.
Key terms in this question
- Federal Parliament — The Bundestag is the national parliament of Germany, made up of elected representatives. It passes laws and elects the Federal Chancellor.
- German (female) / German — 'Deutsche' refers to a person who holds German citizenship or originates from Germany.
- political party — A party is an organization in which people with similar political goals join together to participate in elections and influence political decisions.
- Germans — 'Germans' is the plural of 'German' and refers to all people who hold German citizenship.
- Germans — 'Germans' is the plural of 'German' and refers to people who hold German citizenship or originate from Germany.
- Germans — Germans are people who hold German citizenship. They are citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany.
- the Federal Government / the Federation — The Federation refers to the central level of government in Germany, as opposed to the individual federal states (Länder). It is responsible for matters that affect the whole country, such as foreign policy or national defense.
- free — Without restrictions or compulsion; a person can decide for themselves what they do or say.