Election System
Germany's system is best described as a combination of the first past the post system (as used in Britain) and the proportional representation model
Voters are given two choices. On the left (black) side of their ballot paper they vote for an individual from their local constituency (there are 299 districts in Germany). On the right (blue) side, they vote for a party (34 contesting). Added up, the second votes allow the parties to fill up a further 299 seats from the lists
Each of the parties receives a share of the 598 Bundestag seats proportionate to the number of second votes it has secured.
Germany also exercises a 5 per cent threshold rule, (to prevent an extreme amount of political fragmentation, as happened during the Weimar era) by which no party that secures less than 5 per cent can enter parliament.
No of Voters
61.8million Germans are eligible to vote, 400,000 fewer than in 2009. There are 3m first-time voters.
Opinion polls continue to indicate that a clear win by either the CDU+CSU/FDP coalition or the SPD/Greens coalition (the preferred coalitions of the parties indicated) remains unlikely so far.
While the Bundestag is sometimes viewed as the Lower House and the Bundesrat,the Upper House both do not form a common parliament and do not have powers in the same policies. The Bundesrat generally gets involved in the federal legislative process only if the competences of the Lander (the states of Germany) are being affected by a proposed law; most laws tend to originate in Bundestag, but the Bundesrat may initiate and pass legislation onto the Bundestag as well. The Bundestag and the Bundesrat, like the other federal constitutional bodies, both meet in Berlin with the Bundestag occupying the former Reichstag building
Half of the Members of the Bundestag are elected directly from 299 constituencies (first past the post system), the other half are elected from the parties’ Land lists in such a way as to achieve proportional representation for the total Bundestag (if possible).
Accordingly, each voter has two votes in the elections to the Bundestag. The first vote, allowing voters to elect their local representatives to the Bundestag, decides which candidates are sent to Parliament from the constituencies.
The second vote is cast for a party list; it determines the relative strengths of the parties represented in the Bundestag
Angela Merkel and Peer Steinbrueck TV Debate Sep 1,2013
Peer Steinbrueck, who was Angela Merkel's Finance Minister in the 2005-09 "grand coalition" between left and right, attacked her handling of the European debt crisis.
"I would have followed a different crisis strategy. Of course there must be budget consolidation in these countries, but not a deadly dose," he said.
"You voted for everything," Angela Merkel retorted, pointing out that the SPD had supported her policies in parliament
The debate between Angela Merkel and Peer Steinbrueck lasted 90 minutes
A snap poll for Germany's RTL television declared Merkel a narrow winner of the debate, while an ARD TV poll suggested Mr Steinbrueck had been more convincing
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Conservative Coalition is reckoned to be leading Peer Steinbrueck's Social Democrats (SPD) by around 15 points (40% to 25%)
Angela Merkel is hoping to continue her governing alliance with the liberal Free Democrats (FDP).
Peer Steinbrueck has said he will not enter a grand coalition with Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats but would prefer to go into coalition with the Green Party
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and leader of the Christian Democratic Union party CDU stands in front of her election campaign tour bus before a CDU board meeting in Berlin, Sep16, 2013
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, chairperson of the Christian Democratic party, casts her vote in Berlin on Sunday Sep 22,2013
Social Democrat candidate Peer Steinbrück casts his vote alongside his wife, Gertrud in Bonn
Gregor Gysi, leader of the left-wing Left Party, cast his vote in the Pankow district of Berlin
Exit polls
CDU 42.0 %; SPD 26.0%; FDP 4.7%; Greens 8.0%; Linke 8.5%; AfD 4.9%, Piraten 2.5%German Federal Election Sep 22, 2013 - Results
CDU/CSU -41.5%
SPD -25.7%
Greens -8.4%
FDP -4.8%
Linke -8.6%
AfD -4.7%
Others -6.3%
| Parties | Constituency | Party list | Total seats | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | +/− | Seats | +/− | Votes | % | +/− | Seats | +/− | Seats | +/− | % | ||||
| CDU | 16,225,769 | 37.2 | +5.2 | 190 | +17 | 14,913,921 | 34.1 | +6.9 | 65 | +44 | 255 | +61 | 40.5 | |||
| SPD | 12,835,933 | 29.4 | +1.5 | 59 | -5 | 11,247,283 | 25.7 | +2.7 | 133 | +51 | 192 | +46 | 30.5 | |||
| Left(Linke) | 3,583,050 | 8.2 | -2.9 | 4 | -12 | 3,752,577 | 8.6 | -3.3 | 60 | ±0 | 64 | -12 | 10.2 | |||
| Greens | 3,177,269 | 7.3 | -1.9 | 1 | ±0 | 3,690,314 | 8.4 | -2.3 | 62 | -5 | 63 | -5 | 10.0 | |||
| CSU | 3,543,733 | 8.1 | +0.7 | 45 | ±0 | 3,243,335 | 7.4 | +0.9 | 11 | +11 | 56 | +11 | 8.9 | |||
| FDP | 1,028,322 | 2.4 | -7.1 | 0 | ±0 | 2,082,305 | 4.8 | -9.8 | 0 | -93 | 0 | -93 | 0 | |||
| AfD | 809,817 | 1.9 | +1.9 | 0 | ±0 | 2,052,372 | 4.7 | +4.7 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | |||
| Pirate Party (PIRATEN) | 962,946 | 2.2 | +2.1 | 0 | ±0 | 958,507 | 2.2 | +0.2 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | |||
| National Democratic Party (NPD) | 634,842 | 1.5 | −0.3 | 0 | ±0 | 560,660 | 1.3 | −0.2 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | |||
| Human Environment Animal Welfare | 4,415 | 0.0 | +0.0 | 0 | ±0 | 140,251 | 0.3 | -0.2 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | |||
| The Republicans (REP) | 27,279 | 0.1 | ±0.0 | 0 | ±0 | 91,660 | 0.2 | −0.2 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | |||
| Ecological Democratic Party (ödp) | 128,158 | 0.3 | ±0.0 | 0 | ±0 | 127,085 | 0.3 | ±0.0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | |||
| Family Party (FAMILIE) | 4,476 | 0.0 | ±0.0 | 0 | ±0 | 7,451 | 0.0 | −0.3 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | |||
| Alliance 21/RRP | 5,335 | 0.0 | -0.1 | 0 | ±0 | 8,851 | 0.0 | -0.2 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | |||
| Pensioners' Party (RENTNER) | 919 | 0.0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 25,190 | 0.1 | -0.1 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | |||
| Bavaria Party (BP) | 28,336 | 0.1 | ±0.0 | 0 | ±0 | 57,285 | 0.1 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | |||
| Party of Bible-abiding Christians (PBC) | 2,070 | 0.0 | ±0.0 | 0 | ±0 | 18,529 | 0.0 | −0.1 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | |||
| Civil Rights Movement Solidarity (BüSo) | 18,039 | 0.0 | ±0.0 | 0 | ±0 | 13,131 | 0.0 | -0.1 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | |||
| The Violets – for Spiritual Politics (DIE VIOLETTEN) | 2,500 | 0.0 | ±0.0 | 0 | ±0 | 8,248 | 0.0 | -0.1 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | |||
| Marxist Leninist Party (MLPD) | 12,986 | 0.0 | ±0.0 | 0 | ±0 | 25,336 | 0.1 | ±0.0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | |||
| Alliance for Germany (Volksabstimmung) | 1,748 | 0.0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 28,667 | 0.1 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | |||
| Social Equality Party (PSG) | – | – | – | – | – | 4,840 | 0.0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | |||
| Electoral groups and independents | 131,873 | 0.3 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 143,462 | 0.3 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | ±0 | 0 | |||
| Total valid | 43,601,224 | 98.4 | +0.2 | 299 | ±0 | 43,702,474 | 98.7 | +0.1 | 331 | +8 | 630 | +8 | ±0 | |||
| Invalid ballots | 688,428 | 1.6 | -0.1 | 587,178 | 1.3 | -0.1 | ||||||||||
| Total (turnout: 71.5%) | 44,289,652 | 100.0 | 44,289,652 | 100.0 | ||||||||||||
The Christian Democratic Union(CDU)and the Christian Social Union of Bavaria(CSU) got their best result since the 1990 election and fell just 5 seats short of an outright majority, something that has only been accomplished once, in 1957
As a result, the CDU/CSU will have to turn to the main opposition party Social Democrats(SPD) to form a grand coalition as these parties have done in the past
Also a left-wing coalition Govt of the SDP, Greens and the Left is possible and command a slim majority
Angela Merkel wins German federal election, will remain Chancellor. Coalition partner uncertain.
More than 3 years into the European Union’s worst ever nightmare, Merkel, uniquely in the Eurozone, has been hugely rewarded for her handling of the currency and sovereign debt crisis. Everywhere else voters have punished Govts.
Her victory demonstrates the gulf between Germany and the rest of the EU and the Eurozone
Her victory, with an increased share of the vote for her Christian democrats than in 2009 no less, will vindicate her confidence in the way she has dealt with the euro challenge
Angela Merkel, the daughter of a Protestant pastor who grew up behind the Iron curtain in East Germany, is the third post-war chancellor to win three elections, after Adenauer and her mentor Helmut Kohl
Angela Merkel is one of the few European leaders to survive the debt crisis, which has seen 19 of her EU peers lose their jobs since the start of 2010.
2009 German Bundestag Election Results
The CDU,CSU and FDP - the three parties announced their intention to form a new centre-right Govt with Angela Merkel as Chancellor
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