BERLIN – It’s election day in Germany: As the EU’s largest electorate goes to the polls, the results of this parliamentary election are sure to reshape both the country and the continent. Stay tuned for results and updates as they unfold throughout the night.
German citizens aged 18 and over, or around 59 million people, can vote in today’s election. While their first vote will be for a local MP in their constituency – and not for the chancellor – their second vote will be for a political party.
The result of the second vote determines the party’s share of the 630 seats in the Bundestag, the German parliament. As this federal election marks the debut of the reformed electoral law, direct candidates only end up with an actual mandate if it is covered by the number of second votes for their party.
When can we expect actual results?
Predictions of results based on exit polls will be available as soon as polling stations close at 6pm and will be refined into projections as official results from constituencies come in throughout the night.
Germany’s Federal Returning Officer Ruth Brand will announce the provisional result during the night. However, as each constituency and each of Germany’s 16 federal states have their own electoral commissions, each of which will determine its result in a public meeting, the official final result is not expected before Monday.
What are the predicted results and what will be decided later?
With party approval ratings largely frozen in pre-election polls in recent weeks and months, Germans will have a clear idea of the potential coalition options. Parties struggling to pass the 5% threshold to enter the Bundestag, however, may not know their fate until the early hours of the morning.
And while the parties are certain to begin exploratory talks and later coalition negotiations at the beginning of the week, the actual conclusion of a coalition agreement is usually preceded by weeks of back and forth on key policy areas.
The Federal President remains in close contact with the negotiating parties throughout this period and makes his choice of a potential Chancellor to propose to the members of parliament.
How exactly does Germany get a new chancellor?
While the chancellor must be elected by an absolute majority of the votes cast in parliament, the cabinet of ministers is chosen by the chancellor and approved or dismissed by the president.
The last time President Frank-Walter Steinmeier dismissed several ministers was in November 2024, marking the failure of the governing coalition and setting the country up for early elections – which is how Germany got here in the first place.
[DE]