The German Presidential Oath Trivia Quiz

Answer:

This oath, as stated, has been created in the wake of World War II and strongly emphasizes that the main executives of the German Federal government are bound and responsible to two entities: The German people and the rule of law.

The term "German people" is not a racial term but means all who are German citizens or, being of German origin, are only denied citizenship because of fugitive status, although the latter now has become almost irrelevant in practice since this only applies to persons who became fugitives or lost citizenship before 1945. Their descendants are not automatically considered Germans, but are eligible to apply for citizenship which can be denied only in rare circumstances if they wish to reside in Germany.

The two instances of "law" in the oath refer to the constitution - which in German is called "Grundgesetz" (Basic Law) - and the body of federal laws. The law and justice clauses, also reflected in the constitution effectively limit the power of any German executive to be subsidiary to laws and the judiciary and the executive branch only has a limited mandate to issue executive orders.

There is no mention of the Federal Republic of Germany as an entity in this oath - an omission that creates a moral obligation to uphold the principles of the oath beyond the existence of the nation, should it be obliterated or replaced by a construct that does not uphold similar values. A similar obligation also exists in the soldier's oath which has two parts: to serve the nation and to defend the freedom and right of the people.

The oath is not always taken on the first day of office and not required to be able to discharge its duties - a solemn swearing-in ceremony is typically held at an opportune time in the first week for the President while the chancellor and ministers take it upon being handed their appointment documents. An office holder re-elected to consecutive terms in the same office does not retake the oath. As is customary in Western democracies, the religious clause is optional but recited by most electees.

The German orignal of the oath reads "Ich schwöre, dass ich meine Kraft dem Wohle des deutschen Volkes widmen, seinen Nutzen mehren, Schaden von ihm wenden, das Grundgesetz und die Gesetze des Bundes wahren und verteidigen, meine Pflichten gewissenhaft erfüllen und Gerechtigkeit gegen jedermann üben werde. (So wahr mir Gott helfe.)"