With a record-breaking voter turnout of 83.5%, the highest since unification in 1990, Germans cast their polls in an early federal election on February 23. The election had been called after the three-way coalition government of Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the neo-liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) collapsed in late 2024.
Votes for parties in the German parliamentary elections
Based on projections, the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) led by chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz and its sister Christian Social Union (CSU) won the most votes, followed by the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Gains and losses for German parties
The big winner of the election in terms of voter gains was the far-right AfD, while the SPD, led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz recorded the largest loss of votes compared to previous elections.
How are the seats distributed in Germany's parliament?
When Germans go to the polls,they have two votes: one for a candidate to represent their constituency and the second for a party's state list. The first vote is for a direct candidate running in the respective electoral district and determines half of the parliament's total composition, ensuring each district is represented. The second vote determines the strength of the parties in the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, and thereby establishes how many candidates from that state list will be granted seats in the Bundestag.
There are 630 seats in the Bundestag. The number of seats a party has is determined by their vote share. A party must receive at least 5% of votes to enter parliament. However, an exception is granted to parties that field winning candidates in at least three electoral districts: winning three individual mandates lifts the 5% threshold for the respective party.