Pouvoir neutre

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Pouvoir neutre ("neutral force") is a state-theoretical term borrowed from French .

The formation of the term goes back to Benjamin Constant , who assigned the function of pouvoir neutre to the monarch. Constant originally conceived neutral power as an independent state power alongside the legislative , executive and judicial branches .

In the Federal Republic of Germany, the Federal President functions as a pouvoir neutre : His tasks are limited and primarily include representative activities. However, according to Article 20 of the Basic Law, federal German constitutional law only recognizes the three “classic” powers; The Federal President is largely responsible for the executive power ( Maunz-Dürig ), alongside the Federal Chancellor, one of the two executive heads (under practical concordance according to Art. 58 and Art. 65 GG), functionally within the division of powers of the executive ( Schmidt-Bleibtreu-Klein ).

Already Carl Schmitt had Constants doctrine of pouvoir neutre picked up and the function of the President's intended for, which he described as "guardian of the constitution".

Pouvoir neutre is not directly related to the dichotomous categories pouvoir constituant ('constitutional power') and pouvoir constitué ('constituted power'), which also date from the time of the French Revolution .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See Schmitt's treatise of the same name The Guardian of the Constitution , Tübingen 1932, pp. 132 ff.

literature

  • Benjamin Constant: Principes de politique applicables à tous les gouvernements représentatifs. 1815.
    • Principes de politique applicables à tous les gouvernements (version de 1806-1810). Compiled and introduced by Etienne Hofmann. Paris 1997, ISBN 2-01279303-7 .
    • Principes de politique applicables à tous les gouvernements. Compiled from the manuscripts from Lausanne and Paris with an introduction and comments by Etienne Hofmann. Geneva 1980.
  • Florian Weber: Benjamin Constant and the liberal constitutional state. Political theory after the French Revolution. 2004, ISBN 978-3-531-14407-8 , chapter 5.4.
  • Karl Doehring : The "Pouvoir Neutre" and the Basic Law. In: Der Staat , 3 (1964), p. 201 ff.