'Elections and Parties in Germany: How Voting Works for the Bundestag and
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Germany is a parliamentary federal republic. Voters elect the Bundestag, state parliaments and local representative bodies, while the Bundestag elects the Federal Chancellor. Elections in Germany therefore matter not only as a count of votes for parties: they determine future coalitions, the composition of government and the balance of power between the federation and the states.
Germany’s Basic Law establishes that state authority emanates from the people and is exercised through elections, votes, legislative, executive and judicial power. (Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland Art. 20)
The structure of federal authority is also connected to the German political system: the Bundestag passes laws, the Bundesrat represents the states, the Federal Government is responsible for executive policy, and the states retain their own parliaments and governments.
Who can vote and stand for election
German citizens who are 18 by election day and have not been deprived of voting rights on grounds provided for by law may vote in Bundestag elections.
If a person is registered as living in Germany, they are usually entered in the electoral register automatically. Germans living abroad who are not registered in Germany must apply separately to be entered in the electoral register before a federal election.
People can stand for the Bundestag from the age of 18. Parties and candidates are subject to formal admission procedures, submission of lists, constituency nominations and, for parties not represented in parliament, collection of supporting signatures.
Foreign nationals without German citizenship cannot vote in Bundestag elections. EU citizens may take part in European Parliament elections and, subject to local conditions, municipal elections, but these are separate electoral procedures.
Bundestag elections after the reform
The Bundestag is elected for four years. The election of 23 February 2025 was an early election: it took place after the federal coalition collapsed and the government of Olaf Scholz lost a confidence vote.
The main change in recent years has been the reform of federal electoral law. Since the 2025 election, the Bundestag’s size has been fixed at 630 seats. Germany still has 299 constituencies and two votes on the ballot, but a constituency’s direct winner receives a seat only if that mandate is covered by the party’s result in second votes.
The ballot normally has two parts:
- Erststimme — a vote for a candidate in the voter’s constituency;
- Zweitstimme — a vote for a party’s state list.
It is the Zweitstimme that determines how many seats a party receives in the Bundestag. The Erststimme affects which particular candidates take those seats, but following the reform, winning a constituency alone no longer guarantees a mandate.
To enter the Bundestag, a party normally has to receive at least 5% of valid second votes. The Grundmandatsklausel also continued to apply in the 2025 election: a party could take part in the allocation of seats if its candidates won at least three constituencies. Parties representing national minorities, such as the SSW, are exempt from the five-percent threshold.
Results of the 2025 federal election
According to the final result of the 2025 Bundestag election, seven parties or party alliances entered the 21st Bundestag. The CDU and CSU operate as the joint CDU/CSU parliamentary group.
| Party | Second votes | Seats | Role in the Bundestag in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CDU | 22.6% | 164 | government, CDU/CSU parliamentary group |
| CSU | 6.0% | 44 | government, CDU/CSU parliamentary group |
| AfD | 20.8% | 152 | opposition |
| SPD | 16.4% | 120 | government |
| BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN | 11.6% | 85 | opposition |
| Die Linke | 8.8% | 64 | opposition |
| SSW | 0.2% | 1 | national minority party |
BSW received almost 5% of second votes but did not enter the Bundestag. The FDP also failed to clear the five-percent threshold. After the election, CDU/CSU and SPD formed the Federal Government, with Friedrich Merz becoming Federal Chancellor.
The new system immediately showed its practical effect: some constituency winners did not receive seats because their parties in the relevant states lacked sufficient second votes to cover all constituencies won. In return, the previous problem of overhang and compensatory mandates, which had continually increased the size of the Bundestag, disappeared.
State parliaments: Landtag, Abgeordnetenhaus and Bürgerschaft
Germany consists of 16 federal states, and each state elects its own parliament. In most states, this is called a Landtag. In Berlin it is the Abgeordnetenhaus, and in Hamburg and Bremen it is the Bürgerschaft.
State elections resemble federal elections only in their general principles: voters elect a parliament, which then forms the state government. The specific system differs from state to state. The rules in Bavaria, Hamburg, Berlin or Baden-Württemberg therefore cannot automatically be applied to Bundestag elections.
| State | Feature of the system | What matters to voters |
|---|---|---|
| Baden-Württemberg | from the 2026 election, a two-vote system is used | voters can vote in state elections from age 16; the 2026 result was already calculated under the new model |
| Bavaria | two votes, both affecting the party result | the second vote is cast for a candidate on the regional list, not simply for a party |
| Hamburg | 10 votes: 5 for the constituency and 5 for the state list | votes can be spread among candidates or accumulated for one candidate |
| Bremen | 5 votes and a four-year term | votes can be combined among lists and candidates |
At state level, features that do not exist in federal elections are more common: voting from age 16, more votes, cumulative voting, panachage and different counting rules.
Upcoming state elections after June 2026
Exact dates for state elections are best checked on the websites of the Landeswahlleiter or state parliaments, as the calendar can change following early elections. The following dates are officially stated for the next elections after June 2026:
| State | Date | Parliament |
|---|---|---|
| Saxony-Anhalt | 6 September 2026 | Landtag |
| Berlin | 20 September 2026 | Abgeordnetenhaus |
| Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 20 September 2026 | Landtag |
In Baden-Württemberg, the election on 8 March 2026 was already held under the new two-vote system: according to the official final result, the Greens became the strongest party by share of votes, nearly level with the CDU in the number of seats. In Rhineland-Palatinate, the CDU was the strongest party in the election of 22 March 2026 according to preliminary official data.
How voting works
The procedure for a voter generally looks like this:
- A few weeks before the election, a Wahlbenachrichtigung — notification with the polling-station address — arrives.
- On election day, the voter needs to go to the polling station with the notification and an identity document.
- The voter receives a ballot paper, votes in a booth and puts the ballot into the ballot box.
- If voting by post or at a different polling station is needed, a Wahlschein must be obtained in advance.
In federal elections, polling stations are usually open from 08:00 to 18:00. If a voter already has postal-voting documents, they may still vote in person, but must bring the Wahlschein and proof of identity.
Briefwahl: voting by post
Briefwahl in Germany can be used without giving a reason. The application is submitted to the municipality or city administration, usually using the form in the Wahlbenachrichtigung, an online service or in person.
Do not delay posting it: the Wahlbrief must arrive at the stated location no later than 18:00 on election day. If it arrives later, the vote is not counted. The rules for applying for a Wahlschein may differ in urgent circumstances, so read the instructions from your Gemeinde before a particular election.
When a vote may be declared invalid
The secrecy of the ballot is strictly protected in Germany. Do not photograph a completed ballot, sign it, add extra marks or show your choice to other people at the polling station. If the voter’s intention is unclear or the ballot contains impermissible markings, the vote may be declared invalid.
Main German parties in 2026
German politics remains multiparty. At federal level, the Bundestag contains CDU/CSU, AfD, SPD, the Greens, Die Linke and the SSW. The FDP and BSW did not enter the Bundestag in the 2025 election, but they continue to take part in politics at state, European and federal level.
CDU
Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands — Christian Democratic Union of Germany.
The CDU has the largest number of its own mandates in the 21st Bundestag and is the main force in the 2026 Federal Government. The party occupies a centre-right position: economic growth, internal security, migration control, support for business and a pro-European course are among its central themes.
At federal level, the CDU operates in every state except Bavaria, where its partner is the CSU.
CSU
Christlich-Soziale Union — Christian Social Union.
The CSU contests elections only in Bavaria, but in the Bundestag it works with the CDU in the joint CDU/CSU parliamentary group. It is both a Bavarian regional party and an important federal player: through the joint group and the government, it influences policy across Germany.
SPD
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands — Social Democratic Party of Germany.
The SPD is one of the country’s oldest parties and a key force in Germany’s centre-left camp. Its traditional themes are social justice, workers’ rights, pensions, wages, affordable housing and a strong welfare state.
After the 2025 election, the SPD lost the chancellorship but joined the Federal Government as the CDU/CSU’s partner.
AfD
Alternative für Deutschland — Alternative for Germany.
The AfD became the second-largest force in the Bundestag by number of seats after the 2025 election. The party supports strict migration restrictions and criticises parts of EU policy, the energy transition and many decisions of the federal government. The AfD performs particularly strongly in a number of eastern states.
FDP
Freie Demokratische Partei — Free Democratic Party.
The FDP is a liberal party that focuses on market-based solutions, reducing bureaucracy, digitalisation, personal freedom and tax policy. After the 2025 election, the FDP is not represented in the Bundestag, but remains visible at state level and in political debate.
Die Linke
Die Linke — Germany’s left-wing socialist party.
The party supports redistribution of income, stronger social protections, tenant protection, higher taxation of large fortunes and a strong public sector. After the crisis and split from which BSW emerged, Die Linke returned to the Bundestag with a strong result in the 2025 election.
BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN
BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN — Alliance 90 / The Greens.
The party’s main themes are climate, the energy transition, ecology, civil liberties, human rights, modernising the state and European integration. After participating in the Federal Government from 2021 to 2025, the Greens are in opposition in the 21st Bundestag, but remain strong in major cities and several western states.
BSW
Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht — Vernunft und Gerechtigkeit is a party founded in 2024 around Sahra Wagenknecht and former Die Linke politicians.
BSW combines left-wing socioeconomic demands with more conservative positions on migration and criticism of part of Berlin’s foreign-policy course. In the 2025 federal election, the party scored just below the five-percent threshold and did not enter the Bundestag.
Smaller but notable parties
SSW represents the Danish and Frisian minorities in Schleswig-Holstein and is exempt from the five-percent threshold in federal elections.
FREIE WÄHLER are particularly prominent in Bavaria and regional politics. Volt promotes a pan-European agenda and is more often visible at European and municipal level. Die PARTEI uses satire, but has long been a recognisable participant in elections. In regional politics, narrow issues can also come to the fore, such as transport, housing, schools or smoking rules in public places.
Wahl-O-Mat
Wahl-O-Mat is a project of the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung. Users respond to political statements, and the service shows which parties’ positions most closely match their answers.
It is not official advice on whom to vote for, but a political-education tool. It helps users quickly see differences between party programmes, but does not replace reading party programmes, checking candidates in one’s constituency or understanding possible coalitions.
Wahl-O-Mat is used before Bundestag, European Parliament and state-parliament elections. According to the bpb, since its launch in 2002 the service has been used around 160 million times before elections.
