2017 German federal election Facts for Kids

The German Parliament after the 2017 election. It shows how many seats each party won. CDU/CSU: 246* seats SPD: 153 seats AfD: 94 seats FDP: 80 seats The Left: 69 seats Greens: 67 seats * CDU: 200, CSU: 46.

The 2017 German federal election was a big vote held in Germany on September 24, 2017. People voted to choose who would represent them in the German parliament, called the Bundestag.

The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) won the most votes, getting 33%. However, both the CDU and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) lost many of their seats in parliament. Two other parties, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), gained a lot of support and entered parliament.

Political Parties in Germany
- Main Parties
- Other Parties
Public Opinion Before the Election
Election Results
- Voter Turnout
Key Political Leaders
Images for kids
See also

Political Parties in Germany

Main Parties

These are the main political parties in Germany that won seats in the 2017 election. They are important because they got at least 4% of the national vote.

Christian Democratic Union (CDU): This party was led by Angela Merkel. It is a center-right party that supports traditional values and is in favor of the European Union. It often works with the Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU), which is a similar party mainly in Bavaria.
Social Democratic Party (SPD): Led by Martin Schulz, this party is center-left. It focuses on social fairness and workers' rights. The SPD also strongly supports the European Union.
The Left: This party was led by Sahra Wagenknecht and Dietmar Bartsch. It is a left-wing party that believes in democratic socialism, aiming for more equality and social justice.
Alliance '90/The Greens: Led by Katrin Göring-Eckardt and Cem Özdemir, this party focuses on environmental protection and social justice. They are also strong supporters of the European Union.
Free Democratic Party (FDP): This party was led by Christian Lindner. It is a liberal party that believes in individual freedom and a strong market economy. The FDP also supports the European Union.
Alternative for Germany (AfD): Led by Alice Weidel and Alexander Gauland, this party is right-wing and nationalistic. They are generally against the European Union and have strong views on immigration.

Other Parties

These parties received at least 1% of the national vote in the 2017 election, but did not win enough votes to get seats in parliament.

Pirate Party Germany: This party focuses on digital rights, privacy, and government transparency.
National Democratic Party (NDP): This is a far-right party with extreme views.
Free Voters: This group is not a traditional political party but an association. They often attract conservative voters, especially in southern Germany.

Public Opinion Before the Election

Before the election, many groups asked people who they planned to vote for. This is called an "opinion poll." The image below shows how public opinion changed over time, from the last election in 2013 up to the 2017 election. Each colored line represents a different political party.

The polls are from September 2013 (the last federal election) up to the current date. Each colored line specifies a political party.

Election Results

The 2017 election decided how many seats each party would get in the Bundestag. Here's a summary of the final results:

Parties		Party list votes			Total seats
Parties		Votes	%	Change from last election	Seats	Change in seats	% of total seats
	CDU/CSU	15,317,344	32.93%	8.61%	246	65	34.7%
	Social Democratic Party	9,539,381	20.51%	5.22%	153	40	21.6%
	Alternative for Germany	5,878,115	12.64%	7.94%	94	94	13.3%
	Free Democratic Party	4,999,449	10.75%	5.99%	80	80	11.3%
	The Left	4,297,270	9.24%	0.65%	69	5	9.7%
	Alliance '90/The Greens	4,158,400	8.94%	0.49%	67	4	9.4%

	Free Voters	463,292	1.00%	0.03%	0	0	0.0%
	Die PARTEI	454,349	0.98%	0.80%	0	0	0.0%
	Human Environment Animal Protection	374,179	0.80%	0.48%	0	0	0.0%
	National Democratic Party	176,020	0.38%	0.90%	0	0	0.0%
	Pirate Party	173,476	0.37%	1.82%	0	0	0.0%
	Others	684,217	1.47%	0.20%	0	0	0.0%
Totals		46,515,492	100.0%	0	709	0	100.0%

Voter Turnout

The voter turnout is the percentage of people who were allowed to vote and actually did vote. In the 2017 election, many Germans participated.

States	Voter turnout
Baden-Württemberg	78.3%
Bavaria	78.2%
Berlin	75.6%
Brandenburg	73.7%
Bremen	70.7%
Hamburg	75.9%
Hesse	77.0%
Lower Saxony	76.4%
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania	70.9%
North Rhine-Westphalia	75.4%
Rhineland-Palatinate	77.6%
Saarland	76.6%
Saxony	75.4%
Saxony-Anhalt	68.1%
Schleswig-Holstein	76.5%
Thuringia	74.3%