The political framework of Germany

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders

President: Frank-Walter Steinmeier (since 19 March 2017)
Chancellor: Friedrich Merz (since 6 May 2025)

Next Election Dates

Presidential: February 2027
Federal Parliament (Bundestag): March 2029

Main Political Parties

In Germany, parties require at least 5% of the national vote in order to secure representation in the Bundestag. Although based on a multi-party system, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) have historically dominated the political arena. The major parties include:

- Social Democratic Party (SPD): Centre-left, social democrats
- Christian Democratic Union (CDU): Conservative, Christian democratic
- Alternative for Germany (AfD): Far-right
- Bündnis90/die Gruenen: Left, green, social-liberism
- Free Democratic Party (FDP): Liberal, centre-right
- Christian-Social Union (CSU): Conservative, Christian Democratic; considered the ‘sister’ of CDU and based in Bayern
- Left Party (Die-Linke): Left-wing

Executive Power

The Head of Government is the Chancellor, and is elected by absolute majority in the Federal Assembly for a four year term. The Chancellor holds the executive power, which includes implementing the law and managing the everyday business of the country. The Federal Ministers (Council of Ministers) are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Chancellor.

The Head of State is the President, elected for a five year term by the Federal Convention (which includes the members of the Federal Assembly and an equal number of delegates elected by the provincial legislatures). The role of the President is largely ceremonial.

Legislative Power

The legislative power in Germany is bicameral. The parliament consists of two chambers: the Bundestag (the lower house), currently 736 seats, whose members are elected by universal suffrage combining proportional and direct representation, for a four-year term. The second chamber is the Bundesrat (upper chamber), which has 69 statutory seats, and the members are the delegates of the 16 Länder (regions) of the country. There are no elections for the Bundesrat, and the term of its members is for four years. Its composition is determined by that of the regional governments. The government is directly or indirectly dependent on the support of parliament, which is generally expressed by a vote of confidence. The Chancellor can not dissolve the Parliament directly, but he/she can recommend the dissolution to the President in the event of a vote of no confidence in the Bundestag. Legislative power belongs to both the government and parliament. German citizens enjoy considerable political rights.