IFES Election Guide | Country Profile: Germany

Federal Republic of Germany

83,280,000
Population (as of Jan. 1, 2023)

60,490,603
Registered Voters (as of Feb. 23, 2025)

83.28%
Average Turnout

11
Elections in our database

V-Dem* Score: 0.839
Regimes of the World Classification: Liberal Democracy
*Varieties of Democracy Electoral Democracy Index (2024)

CEDAW Status: Signed and Ratified
Signed Date: July 17, 1980
Ratified Date: July 10, 1985

SIGI* Score: 12.4
Level of Discrimination: Very Low
*Social Institutions and Gender Index (2023)

CRPD Status: Signed and Ratified
Signed Date: March 30, 2007
Ratified Date: Feb. 24, 2009

HDI* Score: 0.959
Category: Very High
*UNDP Human Development Index (2023)

Name	Official Name	Type
German Federal Diet	Bundestag	Lower House
German Federal Council	Bundesrat	Upper House
German Presidency	Federal President	Head of State

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.

Elections

2025-02-23 | Status: Held
German Federal Diet
Votes 49,927,315
Registered 60,490,603
Turnout 82.54

2021-09-26 | Status: Held
German Federal Diet
Votes 46,854,508
Registered 61,181,072
Turnout 76.58

2017-09-24 | Status: Held
German Federal Diet
Votes 46,973,799
Registered 61,675,529
Turnout 76.16

2013-09-22 | Status: Held
German Federal Diet
Votes 44,289,652
Registered 61,943,569
Turnout 71.5

2012-03-18 | Status: Held
German Presidency
Votes 1,228
Registered 1,232
Turnout 99.68

2010-06-30 | Status: Held
German Presidency
Votes 1,242
Registered 1,242
Turnout 100.0

2009-09-27 | Status: Held
German Federal Diet
Votes 44,005,575
Registered 62,168,489
Turnout 70.78

2009-05-23 | Status: Held
German Presidency
Votes 1,223
Registered 1,224
Turnout 99.92

2005-09-18 | Status: Held
German Federal Diet
Votes 48,044,134
Registered 61,870,711
Turnout 77.65

2002-09-22 | Status: Held
German Federal Diet
Votes 48,582,761
Registered 61,432,868
Turnout 79.08

1998-09-27 | Status: Held
German Federal Diet
Votes 49,947,087
Registered 60,762,751
Turnout 82.2

Election For	Date	Status	Votes	Registered Voters	Turnout
German Federal Diet	2025-02-23	Held	49,927,315	60,490,603	82.54
German Federal Diet	2021-09-26	Held	46,854,508	61,181,072	76.58
German Federal Diet	2017-09-24	Held	46,973,799	61,675,529	76.16
German Federal Diet	2013-09-22	Held	44,289,652	61,943,569	71.5
German Presidency	2012-03-18	Held	1,228	1,232	99.68
German Presidency	2010-06-30	Held	1,242	1,242	100.0
German Federal Diet	2009-09-27	Held	44,005,575	62,168,489	70.78
German Presidency	2009-05-23	Held	1,223	1,224	99.92
German Federal Diet	2005-09-18	Held	48,044,134	61,870,711	77.65
German Federal Diet	2002-09-22	Held	48,582,761	61,432,868	79.08
German Federal Diet	1998-09-27	Held	49,947,087	60,762,751	82.2

Voter Turnout

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