Elections in Germany
Updated: 12/11/2025, 2:52:01 PM Wikipedia source
Several articles in several parts of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany govern elections and establish constitutional requirements such as the secret ballot, and the requirement that all elections be conducted in a free and fair manner. The Basic Law also requires that the federal legislature enact detailed federal laws to govern elections; electoral law(s). One such article is Article 38, regarding the election of deputies in the federal Bundestag. Article 38.2 of the Basic Law establishes universal suffrage: "Any person who has attained the age of eighteen shall be entitled to vote; any person who has attained the age of majority may be elected." German federal elections are for all members of the Bundestag, which in turn determines who is the chancellor of Germany. The most recent federal election was held on 23 February 2025.
Tables
· Latest election
Party
Party
Col 1
Party
Col 2
Party-list
Col 3
Constituency
Col 4
Totalseats
Votes
Votes
Col 1
Votes
Col 2
%
Col 3
Seats
Col 4
Votes
Col 5
%
Col 6
Seats
Total
Total
Col 1
Total
Col 2
49,649,512
Col 3
100.00
Col 4
354
Col 5
49,505,389
Col 6
100.00
Col 7
276
Col 8
630
| | ||||||||
| Party | Party-list | Constituency | Totalseats | |||||
| Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | |||
| Christian Democratic Union of Germany | 11,196,374 | 22.55 | 36 | 12,604,184 | 25.46 | 128 | 164 | |
| Alternative for Germany | 10,328,780 | 20.80 | 110 | 10,177,318 | 20.56 | 42 | 152 | |
| Social Democratic Party of Germany | 8,149,124 | 16.41 | 76 | 9,936,433 | 20.07 | 44 | 120 | |
| Alliance 90/The Greens | 5,762,380 | 11.61 | 73 | 5,443,393 | 11.00 | 12 | 85 | |
| The Left (Germany) | 4,356,532 | 8.77 | 58 | 3,933,297 | 7.95 | 6 | 64 | |
| Christian Social Union in Bavaria | 2,964,028 | 5.97 | 0 | 3,272,064 | 6.61 | 44 | 44 | |
| Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance | 2,472,947 | 4.98 | 0 | 299,401 | 0.60 | 0 | 0 | |
| Free Democratic Party (Germany) | 2,148,757 | 4.33 | 0 | 1,622,912 | 3.28 | 0 | 0 | |
| Free Voters | 769,279 | 1.55 | 0 | 1,254,565 | 2.53 | 0 | 0 | |
| Human Environment Animal Protection Party | 482,201 | 0.97 | 0 | 82,498 | 0.17 | 0 | 0 | |
| Volt Germany | 355,262 | 0.72 | 0 | 391,666 | 0.79 | 0 | 0 | |
| Die PARTEI | 242,741 | 0.49 | 0 | 122,268 | 0.25 | 0 | 0 | |
| Grassroots Democratic Party of Germany | 85,373 | 0.17 | 0 | 41,923 | 0.08 | 0 | 0 | |
| Bündnis Deutschland | 76,372 | 0.15 | 0 | 87,955 | 0.18 | 0 | 0 | |
| South Schleswig Voters' Association | 76,138 | 0.15 | 1 | 58,779 | 0.12 | 0 | 1 | |
| Ecological Democratic Party | 49,764 | 0.10 | 0 | 54,606 | 0.11 | 0 | 0 | |
| Team Todenhöfer | 24,553 | 0.05 | 0 | 9,783 | 0.02 | 0 | 0 | |
| Party of Progress (Germany) | 21,388 | 0.04 | 0 | 1,282 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | |
| Marxist–Leninist Party of Germany | 19,551 | 0.04 | 0 | 24,218 | 0.05 | 0 | 0 | |
| Party of Humanists | 14,294 | 0.03 | 0 | 1,871 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | |
| Pirate Party Germany | 13,800 | 0.03 | 0 | 2,151 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | |
| Bavaria Party | 12,278 | 0.02 | 0 | 5,763 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | |
| Alliance C – Christians for Germany | 11,768 | 0.02 | 0 | 2,021 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | |
| MERA25 | 6,994 | 0.01 | 0 | 658 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | |
| Values Union | 6,736 | 0.01 | 0 | 2,849 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | |
| Human World (political party) | 694 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | |
| Bürgerrechtsbewegung Solidarität | 676 | 0.00 | 0 | 1,295 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | |
| Socialist Equality Party (Germany) | 425 | 0.00 | 0 | 73 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | |
| Party for Rejuvenation Research | 303 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | |
| Independents | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 70,163 | 0.14 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 49,649,512 | 100.00 | 354 | 49,505,389 | 100.00 | 276 | 630 | |
· Result in history › 1919 German federal election
Party
Party
Col 1
Party
Col 2
Votes
Col 3
%
Col 4
Seats
Total
Total
Col 1
Total
Col 2
30,400,286
Col 3
100.00
Col 4
421
| | ||||
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
| Social Democratic Party of Germany | 11,509,048 | 37.86 | 163 | |
| Centre Party (Germany) | 5,980,216 | 19.67 | 91 | |
| German Democratic Party | 5,641,825 | 18.56 | 75 | |
| German National People's Party | 3,121,479 | 10.27 | 44 | |
| Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany | 2,317,290 | 7.62 | 22 | |
| German People's Party | 1,345,638 | 4.43 | 19 | |
| Bavarian Peasants' League | 275,125 | 0.91 | 4 | |
| German-Hanoverian Party | 77,226 | 0.25 | 1 | |
| Schleswig-Holstein Farmers and Farmworkers Democracy | 57,913 | 0.19 | 1 | |
| Brunswick State Electoral Association | 56,858 | 0.19 | 1 | |
| Mecklenburg Village League | 10,891 | 0.04 | 0 | |
| German Peace Party | 3,503 | 0.01 | 0 | |
| German Officials', Employees' and Middle Class Party | 1,438 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Christian Social Party (Germany) | 664 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Middle Class Party | 640 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| German Social Aristocracy | 279 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Democratic Middle Class Party | 208 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Social Reform Party | 45 | 0.00 | 0 | |
| Total | 30,400,286 | 100.00 | 421 | |
· Result in history › November 1933 German parliamentary election
Party
Party
Col 1
Party
Col 2
Votes
Col 3
%
Col 4
Seats
Against
Against
Col 1
Against
Col 2
3,398,249
Col 3
7.89
Col 4
0
Total
Total
Col 1
Total
Col 2
43,053,473
Col 3
100.00
Col 4
661
| | ||||
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
| Nazi Party | 39,655,224 | 92.11 | 661 | |
| Against | 3,398,249 | 7.89 | 0 | |
| Total | 43,053,473 | 100.00 | 661 | |
· Result in history › 1949 West German federal election
Party
Party
Col 1
Party
Col 2
Votes
Col 3
%
Col 4
Seats
Total
Total
Col 1
Total
Col 2
23,732,398
Col 3
100.00
Col 4
402
| | ||||
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | |
| Social Democratic Party of Germany | 6,934,975 | 29.22 | 131 | |
| Christian Democratic Union of Germany | 5,978,636 | 25.19 | 115 | |
| Free Democratic Party (Germany) | 2,829,920 | 11.92 | 52 | |
| Christian Social Union in Bavaria | 1,380,448 | 5.82 | 24 | |
| Communist Party of Germany | 1,361,706 | 5.74 | 15 | |
| Bavaria Party | 986,478 | 4.16 | 17 | |
| German Party (1947) | 939,934 | 3.96 | 17 | |
| Centre Party (Germany, 1945) | 727,505 | 3.07 | 10 | |
| Economic Reconstruction Union | 681,888 | 2.87 | 12 | |
| Deutsche Rechtspartei | 429,031 | 1.81 | 5 | |
| Radical Social Freedom Party | 216,749 | 0.91 | 0 | |
| South Schleswig Voters' Association | 75,388 | 0.32 | 1 | |
| European People's Movement of Germany | 26,162 | 0.11 | 0 | |
| Rheinish-Westfalian People's Party | 21,931 | 0.09 | 0 | |
| Independents | 1,141,647 | 4.81 | 3 | |
| Total | 23,732,398 | 100.00 | 402 | |
· Result in history › 1949 East German Constitutional Assembly election
Party or alliance
Party or alliance
Col 1
Party or alliance
Col 2
Votes
Col 3
%
Col 4
Seats
Against
Against
Col 1
Against
Col 2
4,080,272
Col 3
33.93
Col 4
0
Total
Total
Col 1
Total
Col 2
12,024,221
Col 3
100.00
Col 4
1,525
| | ||||||
| Party or alliance | Votes | % | Seats | |||
| Democratic Bloc (East Germany) | Socialist Unity Party of Germany | 7,943,949 | 66.07 | 450 | ||
| Christian Democratic Union (East Germany) | 225 | |||||
| Liberal Democratic Party of Germany | 225 | |||||
| Cooperatives | 100 | |||||
| Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany | 75 | |||||
| National Democratic Party of Germany (East Germany) | 75 | |||||
| Democratic Women's League of Germany | 50 | |||||
| Free German Trade Union Federation | 50 | |||||
| Free German Youth | 50 | |||||
| Cultural Association of the GDR | 50 | |||||
| Peasants Mutual Aid Association | 50 | |||||
| Union of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime | 50 | |||||
| Social Democratic Party in the GDR | 25 | |||||
| Independents | 50 | |||||
| Against | 4,080,272 | 33.93 | 0 | |||
| Total | 12,024,221 | 100.00 | 1,525 | |||
References
- Peter Marschalck: Bevölkerungsgeschichte Deutschlands im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert, Frankfurt am Main 1984, S. 173.
- Evans, Richard J., The Coming of the Third Reich, Penguin Press, New York, 2004.
- Berlin.dehttps://web.archive.org/web/20160818085550/http://www.berlin.de/2013/en/open-air-exhibitions/urban-memorials/08-platz-der-republik-centres-of-the-seizure-of-power/violence-unleashed/
- Grundgesetz Bundesrepublik Deutschlandhttp://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gg/art_39.html
- Bundeswahlgesetz Bundesrepublik Deutschlandhttp://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bwahlg/__16.html
- "Federal Constitutional Court decision on the Federal Election Law"http://www.bverfg.de/entscheidungen/cs20080703_2bvc000107.html
- Decision of the Federal Constitutional Court. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012.http://www.bverfg.de/entscheidungen/fs20120725_2bvf000311.html
- Bill amending the Federal Election Law. 11 December 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2012.http://dipbt.bundestag.de/dip21/btd/17/118/1711819.pdf
- Die Zeithttp://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2013-02/bundestag-wahlrecht-beschluss
- Federal Ministry of the Interior and Communityhttps://www.bmi.bund.de/EN/topics/constitution/electoral-law/european-elections/european-elections-node.html
- Der Bundespräsidenthttps://www.bundespraesident.de/EN/role-and-functions/role-in-the-state/election-of-the-federal-president/election-of-the-federal-president_node.html
- Voting for Hitler and Stalin. Elections under 20th Century Dictatorships
- Die DDR 1945–1990