Political Parties

Political parties are laid down in the constitution as a fixed part of the free and democratic foundation of the German state. They are formed by groups of like-minded citizens who wish to exercise influence on the political system in Germany and act as representatives of the people in the Bundestag and in the state parliaments over a longer period of time. They have to make guarantees, however, as to the seriousness of their political aims and they must prove that they will adhere to the democratic principles of the German state.

Parties that are currently represented in the German parliament, the Bundestag, are listed here in alphabetical order:

• Bündnis90/DIE GRÜNEN (Alliance 90/The Greens - mostly called "the Greens") www.gruene.de
• CDU – Christlich Demokratische Union (Christian Democratic Union)
  www.cdu.de
• CSU – Christlich Soziale Union (Christian Social Union – this is the "sister party" to the CDU but is limited to the state of Bavaria)
  www.csu.de
• FDP - Freie Demokratische Partei (Free Democratic Party – also called the "Liberals")
  www.fdp.de
• PDS - Partei des Demokratischen Sozialismus (Party of Democratic Socialism)
  www.pds-online.de
• SPD - Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (Social Democratic Party of Germany)
  www.spd.de

The local party offices provide information on the admission requirements for joining their respective parties. As a general rule, non-German citizens can also become members of political parties in Germany. There are also numerous other smaller parties not represented in the Bundestag. Parties such as the "DVU", "Republikaner" or "NPD" are parties with extreme nationalistic or right wing tendencies.

Wide-ranging information on German politics, society, culture and industry and on the German constitution can be acquired at the "Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung" (Federal and State Centre for Political Education).

Berliner Freiheit 7
53111 Bonn
Tel: 01888 / 515-0

www.bpb.de

You can also contact the "Landeszentrale für politische Bildung" in each of the federal states.