Decision 2009 – National Elections
More than 60 million German voters will head to the polls on Sunday, September 27, 2009, to elect the representatives of the 17th Bundestag, the German parliament. Based on the results, two or more political parties will then form an alliance to build a governing majority and to elect a Chancellor. Here, Germany.info introduces you to the major political parties, the election process and the process of building a government.
Political Parties Play Significant Role
The Federal Electoral Committee has recognized a total of 27 parties as eligible to participate in the upcoming elections. Here are the six parties represented in the current Bundestag.
How Germany Elects Members of Parliament
In Germany’s national parliamentary elections each voter casts two votes, one for a specific candidate to represent his or her district and one for a party.
Building a Governing Coalition
The German electoral system makes it very difficult for any one party to end up with an absolute majority after the elections, therefore, normally two or more parties will agree to form an alliance in order to govern and to elect a Chancellor.
![[Logo Auswärtiges Amt]](/images/logo.gif){kind=logo}
