government
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government
The group of people who exercise political leadership and executive power in a state or country.
Die Regierung hat ein neues Gesetz zur Förderung erneuerbarer Energien verabschiedet.
The government passed a new law to promote renewable energy.
governing
The act or process of governing; the exercise of state power.
Die Regierung eines so vielfältigen Landes ist eine ständige Herausforderung.
Governing such a diverse country is a constant challenge.
'Die Regierung' (the government) is derived from the verb 'regieren' (to govern). The ending '-ung' turns the action (regieren) into a thing (die Regierung). You will find this pattern in many German nouns.
Die Opposition kritisiert die Art, wie die Kanzlerin regiert.
The opposition criticizes the way the chancellor governs.
In political language, there are fixed combinations with 'Regierung' (government). Common ones are: 'eine Regierung bilden' (to form a government), 'an die Regierung kommen' (to come to power), or 'eine Regierung stürzen' (to overthrow a government).
Nach der Wahl müssen die Parteien eine neue Regierung bilden.
After the election, the parties have to form a new government.
Most of the time, 'die Regierung' means the concrete group of politicians who lead a country (countable). Less often, the word describes the abstract process of governing (uncountable).
Die Regierungen der EU-Länder treffen sich heute in Brüssel.
The governments of the EU countries are meeting in Brussels today.
politics / policy
When criticizing government action, Politik primarily refers to the course being pursued and the measures taken. Regierung, by contrast, refers to the group of people politically responsible. Choose Politik for the substance of the action and Regierung for the actors carrying it out.
Viele Bürger kritisieren die Regierung, weil sie beim Hochwasserschutz zu spät gehandelt hat.
Many citizens criticize the government because it acted too late on flood protection.
Viele Bürger kritisieren die Politik zum Hochwasserschutz als zu wenig vorausschauend.
Many citizens criticize the flood-protection policy as insufficiently forward-looking.
