German President Urges Citizens to Uphold Democracy on Basic Law Anniversary

The Grundgesetz or Basic Law is the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Its 146 articles lay out the basic rights of German citizens, the responsibilities of each state institution and other laws, all with the tenor of putting the state's exercise of power under democratic control.

In many ways, it was a response to the country's experiences under the Nazi dictatorship from 1933-1945 and aimed to prevent such things as dictatorships, the Holocaust and a world war started by Germany from every happening again.

It was written shortly after the end of World War II by the Parliamentary Council in what to soon become the West German capital, Bonn, and went into effect on May 23, 1949, effectively establishing the Federal Republic of Germany.

The Basic Law is placed over all other laws. The Constitutional Court in the western city of Karlsruhe is responsible for making sure that it is adhered to.

Its oft-quoted first article is as follows: "Human dignity shall be inviolable. To respect and protect it shall be the duty of all state authority."

The second article then says that the German people "acknowledge inviolable and inalienable human rights as the basis of every community, of peace and of justice in the world."

Among other things, the Basic Law goes on to stipulate that men and women have equal rights, that everyone has freedom of religious belief and that the politically persecuted have a right to asylum.

Any amendments to the constitution must be passed by a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament: the Bundestag and the Bundesrat.

They must then be signed by the federal president.

Some 70 amendments have been made since 1949, including one to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 in 1972 and another in 1990 to admit several new federal states following reunification.

However, several of its core principles, including those in its first article, are not able to be changed even with a two-thirds majority.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called on people in Germany to work to uphold democracy in comments to mark the anniversary of the country's constitution or Basic Law (Grundgesetz).

"Democracy needs active citizens. It needs energy," he told the dpa news agency in Berlin.

"Our free democratic order lives from the contributions of every individual and from commitment in our society," he said.

He said that the Basic Law was a real achievement for the country and its social cohesion.

"But democracy is not just something intellectual. It needs arms and legs — people who get involved, who join in," he added.

Steinmeier has also called on people in Germany to become engaged in voluntary social work as part of their commitment to a democratic society, calling this year's anniversary an Ehrentag ("Day of Honor"). Ehrenamtlich is also a German word for "voluntary."

"By becoming involved, we can have a kind of basic democratic experience as a society and become aware that every one of us can do something, change something," he said.

The president plans to give an example himself on Saturday by doing gardening work at a public cemetery and taking part in activities at an aged-care home.

"It is a heartfelt wish of mine to anchor the birthday of our constitution much more strongly in the general awareness, beyond politics," he told dpa.