Elections

Members of the state and federal parliaments are elected in general, direct, free, equal and secret elections by German citizens of eighteen years of age or older. Anyone who is eligible to vote is also eligible to stand for election.

Elections to the Bundestag

Elections for the Bundestag take place every four years. As is the case for the majority of state elections, voters cast two ballots. The "Erststimme" (first ballot) is a vote for a direct candidate via majority voting. The "Zweitstimme" (second ballot) is a vote for a party by means of proportional representation. The second vote is the more important. The percentage of votes for each party in the second ballot decides the number of seats each party receives in the Bundestag. A party can only be represented in parliament if five per cent of second ballot votes are received (known as the "five per cent hurdle") or if members of that party win at least three direct mandates (in the first ballot) in at least three separate constituencies.

The members of each party join together in parliament to form a parliamentary group ("Fraktion"). Usually a number of parliamentary groups form a "coalition". This guarantees a "majority vote" in parliament. The coalition also proposes the Chancellor, the head of government, and his ministers. The Federal Government is the executive organ of the federal republic and has the right to instigate legislation.

www.bundeswahlleiter.de

Elections to the State Parliaments and the European Parliament

Elections to the state parliaments are held in each of the 16 states every four of five years.

European Parliament elections are held every five years. The "European Parliament" is the parliament of the European Union (EU). The EU has 25 member states at the present time. Germany is a founding member of the European Union. Citizens of a member state of the EU residing in Germany have the right to vote in European Parliament elections.

The homepage of the European Parliament can be found at www.europarl.eu.int

Local Elections

In addition to federal and state elections, there are also local or communal elections in each city, town and local community. These institutions are often called "Kommunalparlamente" (communal parliaments). They decide independently on matters relating to the local community within the framework of the federal or state legislature. This is described as "communal self-government". The highest representative in a city or town is the mayor ("Oberbürgermeister" or "Bürgermeister") while in rural districts it is the "chief administrative officer" ("Landrat").

Foreigner Voting Rights and Foreigners Advisory Council

General voting rights only apply to German citizens. But some people can vote in certain circumstances even without German citizenship.

Since 1994, citizens of the European Union have been allowed to vote and stand for election in local elections if they have been registered in the community for a period of at least three months. In German this is referred to as "passiv" (to stand for election) and "aktiv" (to be allowed to vote).

EU citizens are also eligible to vote for European Parliament elections if they choose to vote in Germany rather than in their country of citizenship. EU citizens wishing to vote in European elections for the first time in Germany must register with their local authority. Information on this is available from the election office of the local authority.

Non-EU citizens do not have voting rights for local, state, federal and European elections in Germany. The only way to influence politics in their community is by way of the Foreigners Advisory Councils ("Ausländerbeiräte"). These councils exist in many German towns and cities. They advise and support local politics. Members of the local community of foreigners elect the foreign members of the council.

You can find out if there is a council in your local community, how the elections take place and how it functions at your local authority.

You can also acquire further information on Foreigners Advisory Councils at the Federal Foreigners Advisory Council, the federation of a large number of local councils: www.bundesauslaenderbeirat.de.