How the Bundestagswahl Works: A Simple Guide

You want to become a German citizen. To do that, you need to pass the Einbürgerungstest. One topic comes up again and again: the Bundestagswahl. How does Germany choose its parliament and government? This guide explains it step by step.

What Is the Bundestagswahl?

The Bundestagswahl is the German federal election. German citizens vote for the national parliament. The parliament is called the Bundestag.

The election takes place every four years. The Bundestag has at least 598 seats. After the election, the Bundestag votes to elect the Federal Chancellor (Bundeskanzler). The Federal Chancellor leads the German government. Germany's current Federal Chancellor is Friedrich Merz.

The Foundation: Germany's Grundgesetz

Germany's constitution is called the Grundgesetz (Basic Law). It was written in 1949. The Grundgesetz is the legal foundation of German democracy.

Article 38 of the Grundgesetz defines how elections must work. Elections in Germany must be:

• General — all adult citizens can vote
• Direct — you vote for candidates and parties yourself
• Free — nobody forces your choice
• Equal — every vote has the same weight
• Secret — nobody can see how you voted

The Grundgesetz also protects freedom of expression (Meinungsfreiheit, Article 5 GG). In Germany, people can openly criticize the government. You can say what you think — even against those in power — without fear of punishment.

The Grundgesetz protects many other individual rights too. For example, under Article 7 GG, parents can decide until their child turns 14 whether the child participates in religious education at school.

Who Can Vote?

To vote in the Bundestagswahl, you must meet three requirements (§ 12 Bundeswahlgesetz – BWahlG):

• You are a German citizen
• You are at least 18 years old
• You are registered at an address in Germany

Once you become a German citizen through naturalization, you have the full right to vote in all elections.

Two Votes: Erststimme and Zweitstimme

On election day, every voter receives one ballot with two separate votes. This is the most important feature of the German election system.

The First Vote (Erststimme)

With the Erststimme, you vote for a direct candidate in your local constituency. Germany is divided into 299 constituencies (Wahlkreise). The candidate who receives the most votes in a constituency wins a direct seat in the Bundestag. This is a simple majority — the person with the most votes wins.

The Second Vote (Zweitstimme)

The Zweitstimme is the more important vote. You vote for a political party. The second vote determines how many seats each party receives in the Bundestag overall.

The more second votes a party gets, the more seats it gets in parliament.

Vote	You choose	What it decides
Erststimme	A direct candidate	Who wins in your local area
Zweitstimme	A political party	How many total seats the party gets

Example: A party receives 30% of all second votes. It gets roughly 30% of the Bundestag seats. A party with 10% of second votes gets roughly 10% of the seats.

The 5% Rule (Fünf-Prozent-Hürde)

Not every party enters the Bundestag automatically. A party must receive at least 5% of all second votes to get seats. Parties below this threshold are excluded. This rule keeps parliament stable by preventing too many tiny parties.

There is one exception: A party that wins at least three direct seats (Direktmandate) can enter the Bundestag even without reaching 5% of the second votes (§ 4 BWahlG).

Forming a Government After the Election

The election result alone does not create a government. The parties must negotiate first. Usually, no single party wins more than 50% of the seats. So two or more parties form a coalition (Koalition) — an agreement to govern together.

The coalition partners write a coalition agreement (Koalitionsvertrag). This document sets out shared goals for the next four years.

Once the coalition is agreed, the Bundestag elects the Federal Chancellor by an absolute majority. The Chancellor then appoints the cabinet ministers. Germany's current Chancellor is Friedrich Merz, who was elected in 2025.

How to Cast Your Vote

On election day, you have two options:

In person (Wahllokal): Go to your local polling station. Bring your voter notification card (Wahlbenachrichtigung) and a valid ID. Mark your two choices on the ballot and fold it before putting it in the box.

By mail (Briefwahl): Request a postal ballot before election day. Fill it in at home and return it before the deadline. This is useful if you cannot visit the polling station.

Both options count equally.

What This Means for Your Einbürgerungstest

The Bundestagswahl is a central topic in the naturalization test. You need to understand how Germany's democracy works — not just memorize facts. Here are the key BAMF test questions that connect to this topic:

• Question 11: What is Germany's constitution called? → The Grundgesetz
• Question 72: Who is Germany's current Federal Chancellor? → Friedrich Merz
• Question 93: What happens when a party gets more second votes? → It gets more seats in the Bundestag
• Question 1: Why can people openly speak against the government in Germany? → Because freedom of expression (Meinungsfreiheit) applies here
• Question 2: Until what age can parents decide about religious education at school? → Until the child turns 14

Understanding these connections — between the Grundgesetz, elections, and fundamental rights — shows you are ready to participate in German democracy as a citizen.

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Dieser Artikel ist Information, keine Rechtsberatung.