Elections in Germany
Encyclopedia
The following information deals with elections in Germany
, including elections to the Bundestag
(the lower house of the federal parliament), the Landtag
s of the various states, and local elections.
. The parliament has one chamber—the Bundestag
(or Federal Diet); the Bundesrat
, or Federal Council, represents the regions and is not considered a chamber as its members are not elected. The Bundestag nominally has 598 members, elected for a four year term. Half, 299 members, are elected in single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post voting, while a further 299 members are allocated from statewide party lists to achieve a proportional distribution in the legislature, conducted according to a form of proportional representation
called the Mixed member proportional representation
system (MMP). Voters vote once for a constituency representative, and a second time for a party, and the lists are used to make the party balances match the distribution of second votes. In the most recent election there were 24 overhang seat
s, giving a total of 622 seats. This is caused by larger parties winning additional single-member constituencies above the totals determined by their proportional party vote.
Germany has a multi-party system with two strong parties
and some other third parties also represented in the Bundestag. Since 1990, five parties (counting the CDU and CSU as one) have been represented in the Bundestag.
Elections are conducted approximately every four years, resulting from the constitutional
requirement for elections to be held 46 to 48 months after the assembly of the Bundestag. The exact date of the election is chosen by the President
and must be a Sunday or public holiday. Should the Bundestag be dismissed before the four year period has ended, elections must be held within 60 days.
German nationals over the age of 18 who have resided in Germany for at least three months are eligible to vote. Eligibility for candidacy is essentially the same.
decided that the practice of calculating the relative proportion for the MMP seats was wrong. The verdict means that the number of constituency seats won will no longer be used in allotting party-list seats. This will result in few overhang seat
s and increase the importance of the party-list vote.
(states). In general they are conducted according to some form of party-list proportional representation, either the same as the federal system or some simplified version. The election period is generally four to five years, and the dates of elections vary from state to state.
In the German Democratic Republic
, elections to the Volkskammer
were effectively controlled by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
and state hierarchy, even though multiple parties existed pro forma. The 18 March 1990 election
were the first free ones held in the GDR, producing a government whose major mandate was to negotiate an end to itself and its state.
under Emperor
Wilhelm I in 1871 to the Nazi accession to power and the abolition of elections following the Enabling Act of 1933, elections were held to the German Reichstag
or "Imperial Assembly", which supplanted its namesake, the Reichstag of the Norddeutscher Bund. The Reichstag could be dissolved by the Kaiser or, after the abdication of Wilhelm II in 1918, the Reichspräsident
. With the Weimar Republic
's Constitution
of 1919, the voting system changed from single-member constituencies to proportional representation. The election age was reduced to 20 years of age. Women's suffrage
had already been established by a new electoral law in 1918 following the November Revolution
of that year.
The German election in 1933
was the ninth and last (mostly) free election. In the Third Reich
, several elections were conducted leading to unanimous support of the Nazi Party because other parties were dissolved or banned.
Politics of Germany
The Federal Republic of Germany is a federal parliamentary republic, based on representative democracy. The Chancellor is the head of government, while the President of Germany is the head of state, which is a ceremonial role but with substantial reserve powers.Executive power is vested in the...
, including elections to the Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
(the lower house of the federal parliament), the Landtag
Landtag
A Landtag is a representative assembly or parliament in German-speaking countries with some legislative authority.- Name :...
s of the various states, and local elections.
Election system
Germany elects on federal level a legislatureLegislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
. The parliament has one chamber—the Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
(or Federal Diet); the Bundesrat
Bundesrat of Germany
The German Bundesrat is a legislative body that represents the sixteen Länder of Germany at the federal level...
, or Federal Council, represents the regions and is not considered a chamber as its members are not elected. The Bundestag nominally has 598 members, elected for a four year term. Half, 299 members, are elected in single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post voting, while a further 299 members are allocated from statewide party lists to achieve a proportional distribution in the legislature, conducted according to a form of proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
called the Mixed member proportional representation
Mixed member proportional representation
Mixed-member proportional representation, also termed mixed-member proportional voting and commonly abbreviated to MMP, is a voting system originally used to elect representatives to the German Bundestag, and nowadays adopted by numerous legislatures around the world...
system (MMP). Voters vote once for a constituency representative, and a second time for a party, and the lists are used to make the party balances match the distribution of second votes. In the most recent election there were 24 overhang seat
Overhang seat
Overhang seats can arise in elections under the traditional mixed member proportional system, when a party is entitled to fewer seats as a result of party votes than it has won constituencies.-How overhang seats arise:...
s, giving a total of 622 seats. This is caused by larger parties winning additional single-member constituencies above the totals determined by their proportional party vote.
Germany has a multi-party system with two strong parties
Political Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
and some other third parties also represented in the Bundestag. Since 1990, five parties (counting the CDU and CSU as one) have been represented in the Bundestag.
Elections are conducted approximately every four years, resulting from the constitutional
Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany
The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany is the constitution of Germany. It was formally approved on 8 May 1949, and, with the signature of the Allies of World War II on 12 May, came into effect on 23 May, as the constitution of those states of West Germany that were initially included...
requirement for elections to be held 46 to 48 months after the assembly of the Bundestag. The exact date of the election is chosen by the President
President of Germany
The President of the Federal Republic of Germany is the country's head of state. His official title in German is Bundespräsident . Germany has a parliamentary system of government and so the position of President is largely ceremonial...
and must be a Sunday or public holiday. Should the Bundestag be dismissed before the four year period has ended, elections must be held within 60 days.
German nationals over the age of 18 who have resided in Germany for at least three months are eligible to vote. Eligibility for candidacy is essentially the same.
Latest election results
In July 2008, the Constitutional CourtFederal Constitutional Court of Germany
The Federal Constitutional Court is a special court established by the Grundgesetz, the German basic law...
decided that the practice of calculating the relative proportion for the MMP seats was wrong. The verdict means that the number of constituency seats won will no longer be used in allotting party-list seats. This will result in few overhang seat
Overhang seat
Overhang seats can arise in elections under the traditional mixed member proportional system, when a party is entitled to fewer seats as a result of party votes than it has won constituencies.-How overhang seats arise:...
s and increase the importance of the party-list vote.
List of federal election results
- 17th German federal election, 2009
- 16th German federal election, 2005German federal election, 2005German federal elections took place on 18 September 2005 to elect the members of the 16th German Bundestag, the federal parliament of Germany. They became necessary after a motion of confidence in Chancellor Gerhard Schröder failed on 1 July...
- 15th German federal election, 2002German federal election, 2002The 15th German federal election, 2002 was conducted on 22 September 2002, to elect members to the Bundestag of Germany.-Issues and campaign:...
- 14th German federal election, 1998German federal election, 1998A German federal election was conducted on September 27, 1998, to elect members to the 14th Bundestag, the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany.- Issues and campaign :...
- 13th German federal election, 1994German federal election, 1994The 13th German federal election, 1994 was conducted on October 16, 1994, to elect members to the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany.-Issues and Campaign:The SPD let its members elect a candidate for Chancellor against Helmut Kohl...
- 12th German federal election, 1990German federal election, 1990The 12th German federal election, 1990 was conducted on December 2, 1990, to elect members to the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany...
(1st of the re-united Germany) - 11th German federal election, 1987German federal election, 1987The 11th German federal election, 1987 was conducted on 25 January 1987, to elect members to the Bundestag, the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany.-Issues and Campaign:Johannes Rau, vice chairman of SPD, tried to become Chancellor...
- 10th German federal election, 1983German federal election, 1983The tenth German federal election was conducted on March 6, 1983, to elect members to the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany.-Issues and campaign:...
- 9th German federal election, 1980German federal election, 1980The 9th German federal election, 1980, was conducted on 5 October 1980, to elect members to the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany.-Issues and Campaign:...
- 8th German federal election, 1976German federal election, 1976The 8th German federal election, 1976, was conducted on 3 October 1976, to elect members to the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany.-Issues and Campaign:...
- 7th German federal election, 1972German federal election, 1972The 7th German federal election, 1972, was conducted on 19 November 1972, to elect members to the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany...
- 6th German federal election, 1969German federal election, 1969The 6th German federal election, 1969, was conducted on 28 September 1969, to elect members to the Bundestag of West Germany.-Issues and Campaign:...
- 5th German federal election, 1965German federal election, 1965The 5th German federal election, 1965, was conducted on 19 September 1965, to elect members to the Bundestag of West Germany.-Issues and campaign:...
- 4th German federal election, 1961German federal election, 1961The 4th German federal election, 1961, was conducted on September 17, 1961, to elect members to the Bundestag of West Germany.-Issues and Campaign:...
- 3rd German federal election, 1957German federal election, 1957The 3rd German federal election, 1957, was conducted on September 15, 1957, to elect members to the Bundestag of West Germany.-Issues and Campaign:...
- 2nd German federal election, 1953German federal election, 1953The 2nd German federal election, 1953, was conducted on September 6, 1953, to elect members to the Bundestag of West Germany.-Issues and Campaign:...
- 1st German federal election, 1949German federal election, 1949The 1st German federal election, 1949, was conducted on 14 August 1949, to elect members to the Bundestag of West Germany. This was the first free election conducted in Germany since Adolf Hitler had become Reich Chancellor in 1933....
State elections in the Federal Republic of Germany
State elections are conducted under various rules set by the LänderStates of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
(states). In general they are conducted according to some form of party-list proportional representation, either the same as the federal system or some simplified version. The election period is generally four to five years, and the dates of elections vary from state to state.
Baden-Württemberg state election results
- Baden-Württemberg state election, 2011Baden-Württemberg state election, 2011The Baden-Württemberg state election 2011, was held on March 27, 2011, to elect members to Baden-Württemberg's State diet, the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg in Stuttgart. It was the 14th state election since the foundation of Baden-Württemberg in 1952...
- Baden-Württemberg state election, 2006Baden-Württemberg state election, 2006The Baden-Württemberg state election, 2006, was conducted on March 26, 2006, to elect members to the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg.-Results:-Post-election:...
- Baden-Württemberg state election, 2001Baden-Württemberg state election, 2001The Baden-Württemberg state election, 2001, was conducted on March 25, 2001, to elect members to the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg.-Results:-Sources:*...
Bavaria state election results
- Bavaria state election, 2008Bavaria state election, 2008The 2008 Bavarian state election was held on September 28, 2008. Voters of the German state of Bavaria elected members to the Bavarian Landtag .-Outcome:...
- Bavaria state election, 2003Bavaria state election, 2003The Bavaria state election, 2003, was conducted on September 21, 2003, to elect members to the Landtag of Bavaria.-Results:-Post-election:...
- Bavaria state election, 1998Bavaria state election, 1998The Bavaria state election, 1998, was conducted on September 13, 1998, to elect members to the Landtag of Bavaria.-Results:-Post-election:...
Berlin state election results
- Berlin state election, 2011Berlin state election, 2011The last Berlin state election was held on 18 September 2011, to elect members to the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin. All 141 seats were up for election. Berlin was governed by a coalition between the Social Democratic Party and The Left at the time. Current mayor Klaus Wowereit was the favourite...
- Berlin state election, 2006Berlin state election, 2006The Berlin state election, 2006, was held on September 17, 2006, to elect members to the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin.After the elections the Social Democratic Party under Klaus Wowereit and the Left Party formed a coalition government....
- Berlin state election, 2001Berlin state election, 2001The Berlin state election, 2001, was conducted on 21 October 2001, to elect members to the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin.-Issues and campaign:The 2001 election was a premature election...
Brandenburg state election results
- Brandenburg state election, 2009Brandenburg state election, 2009State elections were held in Brandenburg on 27 September 2009, the same day as the German federal elections and the Schleswig-Holstein state elections...
- Brandenburg state election, 2004Brandenburg state election, 2004The Brandenburg state election, 2004, was conducted on September 19, 2004, to elect members to the Landtag of Brandenburg, the state legislature of Brandenburg.-Issues and Campaign:...
- Brandenburg state election, 1999Brandenburg state election, 1999The Brandenburg state election, 1999, was conducted on September 5, 1999, to elect members to the Landtag of Brandenburg , the state legislature of Brandenburg.-Results:-Post-election:...
Bremen state election results
- Bremen state election, 2011Bremen state election, 2011A Bremen state election was held on May 22, 2011 to elect the Bürgerschaft . The Christian Democratic Union's slogan was "Now do the right thing." The Social Democratic Party and the Green Party wanted to continue their coalition. Nineteen parties and political associations are authorized to...
- Bremen state election, 2007Bremen state election, 2007State elections were held in Bremen on 13 May 2007 to elect the Bürgerschaft .After the elections, Jens Böhrnsen, the SPD prime minister, was able to pick his future coalition partner. He could either continue the grand coalition with the CDU or form a red-green coalition...
- Bremen state election, 2003Bremen state election, 2003The Bremen state election, 2003, was conducted on May 25, 2003, to elect members to the Bürgerschaft of Bremen.-Election System:The Bremen state elections have some differences from other German elections. The 67 seats elected from the city of Bremen and the 16 seats elected from the city of...
Hesse state election results
- Hesse state election, 2009Hesse state election, 2009Early state elections for the Landtag of Hesse were held in Hesse on 18 January 2009. The reason for the early elections was the inability of the parties to form a government after the inconclusive 2008 Hessian election.-Issues and background:...
- Hesse state election, 2008Hesse state election, 2008The state election to elect members of the Landtag of Hesse was held in the German state of Hesse on 27 January 2008.-Background and issues:...
- Hesse state election, 2003Hesse state election, 2003The Hessen state election, 2003, was conducted on February 2, 2003, to elect members to the Landtag of Hessen.-Results:-Post-election:Roland Koch remained Prime Minister of a CDU government...
- Hesse state election, 1999Hesse state election, 1999The Hesse state election, 1999, was conducted on February 7, 1999, to elect members to the Landtag of Hesse.-Results:-Post-election:...
Lower Saxony state election results
- Lower Saxony state election, 2008Lower Saxony state election, 2008The 2008 Lower Saxony state election was held in Lower Saxony in north-western Germany on 27 January 2008. Despite losing votes and seats, the ruling Christian Democratic Union held on to its position as the leading party in the state...
- Lower Saxony state election, 2003Lower Saxony state election, 2003The 2003 Lower Saxony state election was held in Lower Saxony in north-western Germany on 2 February 2003. The incumbent Social Democratic Party was defeated by the opposition Christian Democratic Union.-Background:...
- Lower Saxony state election, 1998Lower Saxony state election, 1998The Lower Saxony state election, 1998, was conducted on March 1, 1998, to elect members to the Landtag of Lower Saxony, Germany.-Results:-Post-election:...
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election results
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election, 2011Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election, 2011The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election was conducted on 4 September 2011, to elect members to the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election, 2006
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election, 2002
North Rhine-Westphalia state election results
- North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 2010North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 2010The North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 2010, was an election held on May 9, 2010, to elect members to the Landtag of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The incumbent government at the election was the Christian Democrat –FDP administration of Minister-President Jürgen Rüttgers...
- North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 2005North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 2005The North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 2005, was conducted on May 22, 2005, to elect members to the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany...
- North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 2000North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 2000The North Rhine-Westphalia state election, 2000, was conducted on May 14, 2000, to elect members to the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia.-Results:-Post-election:...
Rhineland-Palatinate state election results
- Rhineland-Palatinate state election, 2011Rhineland-Palatinate state election, 2011The 2011 Rhineland-Palatinate state election was conducted on 27 March 2011 to elect all 101 members to the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate. It was held by proportional representation with a 5% threshold...
- Rhineland-Palatinate state election, 2006Rhineland-Palatinate state election, 2006The Rhineland-Palatinate state election, 2006, was conducted on March 26, 2006, to elect members to the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate.-Issues and Campaign:...
- Rhineland-Palatinate state election, 2001Rhineland-Palatinate state election, 2001The Rhineland-Palatinate state election, 2001, was conducted on March 25, 2001, to elect members to the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.-Results:-Post-election:...
Saarland state election results
- Saarland state election, 2009Saarland state election, 2009State elections were held in Saarland on 30 August 2009, the same date as the Saxony and Thuringia state elections. The election decided control of the Landtag of Saarland .-Results:...
- Saarland state election, 2004Saarland state election, 2004The Saarland state election, 2004, was conducted on September 5, 2004, to elect members to the Landtag of Saarland.-Results:-Post-election:Peter Müller remained Prime Minister and the CDU maintained an absolute majority.-Sources:...
- Saarland state election, 1999Saarland state election, 1999The Saarland state election, 1999, was conducted on September 5, 1999, to elect members to the Landtag of Saarland.-Results:-Post-election:...
Saxony state election results
- Saxony state election, 2009Saxony state election, 2009State elections took place in Saxony on 30 August 2009, the same day as the Saarland and Thuringia state elections. The election results decided control of the Landtag of Saxony...
- Saxony state election, 2004Saxony state election, 2004The Saxony state election of 2004, was conducted on September 19, 2004, to elect members to the Landtag of Saxony.-Outcome:* The most striking result of the election, gaining international attention, was the entrance into the Landtag of the nationalist NPD, which won 12 seats. Its strength was...
- Saxony state election, 1999Saxony state election, 1999The Saxony state election of 1999 was held on September 19, 1999, to elect members of the Landtag of Saxony.-Results:Turnout was 61.1%, an increase of 2.7% over the previous Landtag elections....
Saxony-Anhalt state election results
- Saxony-Anhalt state election, 2011Saxony-Anhalt state election, 2011The Saxony-Anhalt state election was held on March 20, 2011 in Saxony-Anhalt for the 20th legislative period of the Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt. The Minister-President since 2002 has been Wolfgang Böhmer , who formed a grand coalition with the SPD after the previous state election in 2006...
- Saxony-Anhalt state election, 2006
- Saxony-Anhalt state election, 2002Saxony-Anhalt state election, 2002The Saxony-Anhalt state election, 2002, was conducted on April 21, 2002, to elect members to the Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt.-Issues and Campaign:The state was at the time of the election the "poorest" state of Germany and had the highest rate of unemployment...
Schleswig-Holstein state election results
- Schleswig-Holstein state election, 2009Schleswig-Holstein state election, 2009State elections were held in Schleswig-Holstein on 27 September 2009, the same day as the German federal elections and the Brandenburg state elections...
- Schleswig-Holstein state election, 2005Schleswig-Holstein state election, 2005The Schleswig-Holstein state election, 2005, was conducted on February 20, 2005, to elect members to the Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein.-Issues and Campaign:...
- Schleswig-Holstein state election, 2000Schleswig-Holstein state election, 2000The Schleswig-Holstein state election, 2000, was conducted on February 27, 2000, to elect members to the Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein.-Results:-Sources:*...
Thuringia state election results
- Thuringia state election, 2009Thuringia state election, 2009Thuringia held state elections on 30 August 2009, the same day as the Saarland and Saxony state elections. The election established the composition of the Landtag of Thuringia...
- Thuringia state election, 2004Thuringia state election, 2004The Thuringia state election, 2004 was conducted on 13 June 2004 to elect members to the Landtag of Thuringia.- Results :- Sources :*...
German Democratic Republic
See: Politics of East GermanyPolitics of East Germany
The German Democratic Republic was created as a socialist republic on 7 October 1949 and began to institute a government based on that of the Soviet Union...
In the German Democratic Republic
German Democratic Republic
The German Democratic Republic , informally called East Germany by West Germany and other countries, was a socialist state established in 1949 in the Soviet zone of occupied Germany, including East Berlin of the Allied-occupied capital city...
, elections to the Volkskammer
Volkskammer
The People's Chamber was the unicameral legislature of the German Democratic Republic . From its founding in 1949 until the first free elections on 18 March 1990, all members of the Volkskammer were elected on a slate controlled by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany , called the National Front...
were effectively controlled by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
and state hierarchy, even though multiple parties existed pro forma. The 18 March 1990 election
East German general election, 1990
Legislative elections were held in the German Democratic Republic on 18 March 1990. It was the first—and as it turned out, only—free parliamentary election in East Germany, and the first truly free election held in that part of Germany since 1933...
were the first free ones held in the GDR, producing a government whose major mandate was to negotiate an end to itself and its state.
German elections 1871 to 1945
From the unification of GermanyUnification of Germany
The formal unification of Germany into a politically and administratively integrated nation state officially occurred on 18 January 1871 at the Versailles Palace's Hall of Mirrors in France. Princes of the German states gathered there to proclaim Wilhelm of Prussia as Emperor Wilhelm of the German...
under Emperor
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
Wilhelm I in 1871 to the Nazi accession to power and the abolition of elections following the Enabling Act of 1933, elections were held to the German Reichstag
Reichstag (German Empire)
The Reichstag was the parliament of the North German Confederation , and of the German Reich ....
or "Imperial Assembly", which supplanted its namesake, the Reichstag of the Norddeutscher Bund. The Reichstag could be dissolved by the Kaiser or, after the abdication of Wilhelm II in 1918, the Reichspräsident
Reichspräsident
The Reichspräsident was the German head of state under the Weimar constitution, which was officially in force from 1919 to 1945. In English he was usually simply referred to as the President of Germany...
. With the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
's Constitution
Weimar constitution
The Constitution of the German Reich , usually known as the Weimar Constitution was the constitution that governed Germany during the Weimar Republic...
of 1919, the voting system changed from single-member constituencies to proportional representation. The election age was reduced to 20 years of age. Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
had already been established by a new electoral law in 1918 following the November Revolution
German Revolution
The German Revolution was the politically-driven civil conflict in Germany at the end of World War I, which resulted in the replacement of Germany's imperial government with a republic...
of that year.
The German election in 1933
German election, 1933
The German federal election, March 1933 to the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic was held on 5 March 1933. The Nazis registered a large increase in votes again emerging as the largest party by far, nevertheless they failed to obtain absolute majority...
was the ninth and last (mostly) free election. In the Third Reich
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, several elections were conducted leading to unanimous support of the Nazi Party because other parties were dissolved or banned.
Weimar Republic elections
- 9th German election, 1933German election, 1933The German federal election, March 1933 to the Reichstag of the Weimar Republic was held on 5 March 1933. The Nazis registered a large increase in votes again emerging as the largest party by far, nevertheless they failed to obtain absolute majority...
- 8th German election, November 1932German election, November 1932The German parliamentary election of 6 November 1932 saw a significant drop for the Nazi Party and increases for the Communists and the national conservative DNVP...
- 7th German election, July 1932German election, July 1932The German parliamentary election of 31 July 1932, held after the premature dissolution of the Reichstag, saw great gains by the Nazi Party, which for the first time became the largest party in parliament, though without winning a majority...
- 6th German election, 1930German election, 1930The German federal election occurred on 14 September 1930 during the Weimar Republic. The number of seats increased from the last election in 1928 to 577 seats, however, the SPD, who remained the largest party saw their share decrease. The Nazi Party on the other hand increased their seats from 12...
- 5th German election, 1928German election, 1928The 1928, or 5th, federal election in Germany, which occurred on May 20, came one year after the ban on Adolf Hitler participating in political activities was officially lifted. As a result, the recently reformed Nazi Party was present in the elections. However, as the table below shows, the NSDAP...
- 4th German election, December 1924German election, December 1924The German federal elections of 7 December 1924 was a parliamentary election in Weimar Republic Germany.-Results:...
- 3rd German election, May 1924German election, May 1924The German parliamentary federal elections, May 1924 in the Weimar Republic took place in 4 May 1924. They chose members for the republic's 2nd Reichstag.-Results:-References:...
- 2nd German election, 1920German election, 1920The Weimar Republic's second elections were held on 6 June 1920.-Results:-References:*Kolb, Eberhard. The Weimar Republic, p. 224. Routledge, 2004, ISBN 0415344417....
- 1st German election, 1919German election, 1919The German elections of January 19, 1919 were the first of the new Weimar Republic following World War I and the Revolution of 1918–19. It was also the first German election according to the system of proportional representation and women's suffrage...
Imperial elections
- 13th German election, 1912German election, 1912The 13th German election of 1912 is most notable for the major breakthrough of the leftist Social Democratic Party , which for the first time became the largest party in the German Reichstag...
- 12th German election, 1907German election, 1907The 12th German federal election to the Reichstag of 1907.-Results:-Further reading:* Bureau des Reichstages : Reichstags-Handbuch. Zwölfte Legislaturperiode. Berlin: Norddeutsche Verlagsanstalt, 1907...
- 11th German election, 1903German election, 1903The 11th German federal election of 1903 was held on 16 June 1903.-Results:- Literature :* Specht, Fritz / Schwabe, Paul: Die Reichstagswahlen von 1867 bis 1903. Eine Statistik der Reichstagswahlen nebst den Programmen der Parteien und einem Verzeichnis der gewählten Abgeordneten...
- 10th German election, 1898German election, 1898The 10th German federal election of 1898 was held on 16 June 1898.-Results:- Literature :* Specht, Fritz / Schwabe, Paul: Die Reichstagswahlen von 1867 bis 1903. Eine Statistik der Reichstagswahlen nebst den Programmen der Parteien und einem Verzeichnis der gewählten Abgeordneten...
- 9th German election, 1893German election, 1893The 9th German federal election of 1893 was held on 15 June 1893.-Results:- Literature :* Specht, Fritz / Schwabe, Paul: Die Reichstagswahlen von 1867 bis 1903. Eine Statistik der Reichstagswahlen nebst den Programmen der Parteien und einem Verzeichnis der gewählten Abgeordneten...
- 8th German election, 1890German election, 1890The 8th German federal election of 1890 was held on 20 February 1890.-Results:- Literature :* Specht, Fritz / Schwabe, Paul: Die Reichstagswahlen von 1867 bis 1903. Eine Statistik der Reichstagswahlen nebst den Programmen der Parteien und einem Verzeichnis der gewählten Abgeordneten...
- 7th German election, 1887German election, 1887The 7th German federal election of 1887 was held on 21 February 1887.-Results:- Literature :* Specht, Fritz / Schwabe, Paul: Die Reichstagswahlen von 1867 bis 1903. Eine Statistik der Reichstagswahlen nebst den Programmen der Parteien und einem Verzeichnis der gewählten Abgeordneten...
- 6th German election, 1884German election, 1884The 6th German federal elections of 1884 was held on 29 October 1884.-Results:- Literature :* Specht, Fritz / Schwabe, Paul: Die Reichstagswahlen von 1867 bis 1903. Eine Statistik der Reichstagswahlen nebst den Programmen der Parteien und einem Verzeichnis der gewählten Abgeordneten...
- 5th German election, 1881German election, 1881The 5th German federal elections of 1881 was held on 27 October 1881.-Results:- Literature :* Specht, Fritz / Schwabe, Paul: Die Reichstagswahlen von 1867 bis 1903. Eine Statistik der Reichstagswahlen nebst den Programmen der Parteien und einem Verzeichnis der gewählten Abgeordneten. 2nd edition,...
- 4th German election, 1878German election, 1878The 4th German federal elections of 1878 was held on 30 july 1878.-Results:- Literature :* Specht, Fritz / Schwabe, Paul: Die Reichstagswahlen von 1867 bis 1903. Eine Statistik der Reichstagswahlen nebst den Programmen der Parteien und einem Verzeichnis der gewählten Abgeordneten. 2nd edition,...
- 3rd German election, 1877German election, 1877The 3rd German federal elections of 1877 was held on 10 january 1877.-Results:- Literature :* Specht, Fritz / Schwabe, Paul: Die Reichstagswahlen von 1867 bis 1903. Eine Statistik der Reichstagswahlen nebst den Programmen der Parteien und einem Verzeichnis der gewählten Abgeordneten. 2nd edition,...
- 2nd German election, 1874German election, 1874The 2nd German federal elections were held in 1874. The date of the election was 10 January 1874.-Results:- Literature :* Specht, Fritz / Schwabe, Paul: Die Reichstagswahlen von 1867 bis 1903. Eine Statistik der Reichstagswahlen nebst den Programmen der Parteien und einem Verzeichnis der gewählten...
- 1st German election, 1871German election, 1871The 1st German federal election of 1871 was the first election to the Reichstag in the German Empire, which had been created earlier that year. The election was held on 3 March 1871.-Results:- Literature :...
External links
- Adam Carr's Election Archive
- Parties and elections
- Latest polling results for state and federal elections (in German)
- Official Site of "Bundeswahlleiter"
- Collection of German Election Posters of Weimar Republic and Federal Republic
- NSD: European Election Database – Germany publishes regional level election data; allows for comparisons of election results, 1990–2009