Politics Ledger · Europe
Germany
Liberal democracyParliamentary republicFederal
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Germany parliamentary seats — snapshot dated Elected 23 February 2025 (1y 8mo ago). Curated data may lag the live series. View data sources.
In charge
Friedrich Merz
Chancellor
Time in power
1.5 yrs
since 2025
Government seats
52%
majority
Next national vote
2029-03
Federal
Governance score
87/100
composite of five indices
Germany's path from late unification through the Weimar collapse, Nazi dictatorship and the Holocaust made the postwar Federal Republic a deliberately cautious, consensus-driven democracy designed never to repeat 1933.
Leadership
Who Governs Germany
Head of state
Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Federal President · SPD
Since 19 March 2017 · 9.6 years
Age 70 (born 1956)ManRoute to power: elected by parliament
Head of government
Holds executive powerFriedrich Merz
Chancellor · CDU
Since 6 May 2025 · 1.5 years
Age 71 (born 1955)ManRoute to power: won a popular election
Ruling coalition
CDU/CSU and SPD grand coalition (328 of 630 seats)
Main opposition
Alternative for Germany (AfD)
Last national election
23 February 2025
Snap federal
CDU/CSU first with 28.5%; AfD doubled to 20.8%; the FDP and BSW fell below 5%.
Next national election
By March 2029
Federal
Coalition tensions over pensions and the budget have strained the government in 2026.
Parliament
Bundestag
Seat distribution (Elected 23 February 2025), ordered from economic left to right.
| Party | Ideology | Seats | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Democratic Union (CDU) | Christian democracy, Conservatism | 164 | governing |
| Alternative for Germany (AfD) | Right-wing populism, Nationalism | 152 | opposition |
| Social Democratic Party (SPD) | Social democracy | 120 | coalition |
| Alliance 90/The Greens (GRÜNE) | Green politics | 85 | opposition |
| The Left (LINKE) | Democratic socialism | 64 | opposition |
| Christian Social Union (CSU) | Bavarian conservatism | 44 | coalition |
| South Schleswig Voters' Association (SSW) | Danish minority | 1 | opposition |
Ideology
Party Landscape
Each party placed on economic and social axes, sized by seats.
Institutions
The System
- Official name
- Federal Republic of Germany
- Capital
- Berlin
- Population
- 84 million
- Statehood
- Unified 1871; Federal Republic 1949; reunified 1990
- System
- Parliamentary republic
- Structure
- Federal
- Current constitution
- 1949
- Legislature
- Federal Parliament
- Lower / sole chamber
- Bundestag (630 seats)
- Upper chamber
- Bundesrat (69, state governments)
- Electoral system
- Mixed-member proportional with a 5% threshold (3 district wins exempt).
- Term limits
- None for the chancellor; the federal president serves at most two five-year terms.
Sources
- Deutscher Bundestag
- Bundeswahlleiterin
- EIU Democracy Index 2024; Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2025; RSF World Press Freedom Index 2025; Transparency International CPI 2024; IPU Parline, 2026; V-Dem v15 Liberal Democracy Index (approximate five-year readings)
Last verified 2026-10-29. Party placements are editorial estimates.
Data as of 2026-10-29.