At Stake in this Election: 

• All 630 seats in the German Bundestag 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: President Frank-Walter STEINMEIER (since 22 March 2017) 

• Head of Government: Chancellor Olaf SCHOLZ (since 8 December 2021) 

• Assembly: bicameral legislature with a 69-seat Bundesrat and a 630-seat Bundestag 

• • As of January 2024, the Bundestag is composed of 733 members due to a prior iteration of the Federal Elections Act that allowed parties to be granted “overhang” seats. 

Electoral System:  

• The President is indirectly elected by an electoral college composed of all members of the Bundestag and an equal number of delegates elected by state parliaments. The President may serve up to two terms of 5 years each. 

• The Chancellor is elected by the party or coalition with the largest share of seats in the Bundestag following an election. 

• In the Bundesrat, all 69 members are appointed by and from within state parliaments. Three to six members are appointed from each state (Land) depending on the size of a state’s population. There are no strict terms or term limits; member’s terms begin when they are appointed and end when they are replaced by their state parliament or leave their position in the state parliament. 

• In the Bundestag, all 630 members are directly elected by mixed-member proportional representation vote. Each voter casts two votes: one for a candidate in their constituency and one for a party list within their state. Parties receive seats according to their share of party-list votes, and those seats are filled first by party members elected at the constituency level, followed by additional members of party lists if seats remain. Parties must receive at least 5% of party-list votes or win the most candidate votes in at least three constituencies to receive a seat. Members serve 4-year terms, and there are no term limits. 

Last Election: 

In the 2021 Bundestag election, the Social Democratic Party won the largest share of seats (206) but did not achieve a majority. Seven additional parties also won seats, and voter turnout was 77%. 

Information for Voters: 

Wahl des Deutschen Bundestages / Elections to the German Bundestag (in German and English) 

New/Unique in this Election:  

On 27 December 2024, Federal President STEINMEIER dissolved the Bundestag and scheduled a snap election for 23 February 2025. This followed the partial breakdown of the SPD-led majority coalition, which would have left Germany with a minority government. Previously, on 7 March 2024, the Bundestag amended the Federal Elections Act, fixing the size of the Bundestag at 630 members in future elections. As of 2024, the Bundestag had 733 members due to legal provisions that allowed parties to be awarded compensatory seats. 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 20 January 2025 

• Voter registration deadline: N/A; Voter registration is passive and residence-based. 

Main Parties in this Election: 

• Social Democratic Party of Germany / Socialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD) 

• • Seats won in the last election: 206 out of 733 

• Christian Democratic Union of Germany / Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands (CDU) 

• • Seats won in the last election: 152 out of 733 

• Alliance ’90 / The Greens | Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen (GREEN) 

• • Seats won in the last election: 118 out of 733 

• Free Democratic Party / Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP) 

• • Seats won in the last election: 92 out of 733 

• Alternative for Germany / Alternative für Deutschland (Afd) 

• • Seats won in the last election: 83 out of 733 

• Christian Social Union in Bavaria / Christlich-Soziale Union in Bayern e.V. (CSU) 

• • Seats won in the last election: 45 out of 733 

• The Left / Die Linke  

• • Seats won in the last election: 39 out of 733 

• South Schleswig Voters’ Association / Südschleswigscher Wählerverband (SSW) 

• • Seats won in the last election: 1 out of 733 

21 additional parties are also fielding candidates. 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 83,280,000 (2023 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 61,963,020 (2024) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 42,160,350 (2023 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Signed 17 July 1980, Ratified 10 July 1985 

• Gender Quota: No 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 262 out of 733 (36%) in the Bundestag and 24 out of 69 (35%) in the Bundesrat 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.950, Very High, Rank 7 (2022) 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 12.4 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 30 March 2007, Ratified 24 February 2009 

• Projected population with a disability: 13,324,800 (2023 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• ElectionJudgments:  Yes, 5 judgments