The German electoral system

Abstract:

'Every vote counts and every vote will be counted' might well become a hackneyed phrase before too long, but the sense of it is at the heart of democracy. However the constitutional importance of each vote may be constrained by the very structure of the electoral system itself. This work looks at the German system.

The book is organised over eight substantive chapters followed by a conclusion. Chapter one presents the historical dimension from the Prussian experience through to the current system. Chapter two looks in greater detail at the current federal electoral system and its development from 1949 until 1990, the year of German reunity. The power plays and political trade-offs of the late Adenauer era and following years are discussed in chapter three. The regional and local electoral systems are explored in chapter four which also examines party finance, split as it is between state and private. The federal elections and their developing pattern are the focus of chapter five. The exceptional outcome of the 2002 election, when the two main parties gained exactly the same result, is covered in chapter six. Chapter seven addresses the influence of the electoral system on the party system and individual parties. Chapter eight looks at the diversity of electoral politics in practice with a closer examination of the prevailing circumstances at Land level. The conclusion drawn in the final chapter is that by and large the German electoral system has stood the test of time.

The work will interest scholars and students of German politics in particular and German or European studies more generally.

Peter James teaches at the University of Northumbria.