🇩🇪 Germany

Legislative power at federal level rests chiefly with the Bundestag, the directly elected lower house, whose members choose the head of government, the Federal Chancellor; a second chamber, the Bundesrat, represents the 16 federal states (Länder) and must consent to many laws. The Bundestag is elected at least every four years by mixed-member proportional representation: each voter casts a first vote (Erststimme) for a local candidate in one of 299 single-member constituencies, decided by first-past-the-post, and a second vote (Zweitstimme) for a party list in their state. It is the second vote that is decisive — it sets each party's overall share of seats, with constituency winners and list candidates together filling that quota. A party must win at least 5% of the national second vote, or three constituencies, to share in the proportional distribution, a threshold designed to keep tiny parties out of parliament. Elections are administered by the Federal Returning Officer (Die Bundeswahlleiterin) and official results are published at bundeswahlleiterin.de.

Figures from official electoral authorities — see Data & Methodology. Last updated 2026-11-02.