Germany's Electoral System – Key Features
- Germany follows a Mixed-Member Proportional Representation system, combining both majoritarian and proportional representation
- Every voter casts two votes:
- First vote (Erststimme): For an individual candidate under the first-past-the-post system in 299 constituencies.
- Second vote (Zweitstimme): For a political party list in each Länder (state) under proportional representation.
- Bundestag (Lower House) members are elected based on these two votes; 299 by first vote and the rest by second vote.
- Overhang seats arise when a party wins more seats through first votes than it deserves by proportional representation.
- To ensure fairness, balance seats are allocated to other parties so that the final distribution reflects proportional vote share
Selection of the Chancellor in Germany
- German citizens do not directly elect the Chancellor; they vote for representatives who then form the Bundestag, which elects the Chancellor.
- Post-election, the Federal President nominates a candidate for the Chancellorship.
- The Bundestag votes in a secret ballot; an absolute majority is required to elect the Chancellor in the first round.
- If no candidate secures a majority in the first attempt:
- A second round is held.
- If still unresolved, a third round takes place, and the candidate with the highest number of votes is elected.
Political Geography of Germany
- Germany is located in Central Europe, sharing borders with nine countries: Denmark (north), Poland and Czech Republic (east), Austria and Switzerland (south), and France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands (west).
- Bordering water bodies include the North Sea and the Baltic Sea in the north.
