Bundestag facts for kids

Quick facts for kids German Bundestag Deutscher Bundestag
21st Bundestag
History
Established	7 September 1949; 75 years ago (1949-09-07)
Preceded by	Reichstag (Nazi Germany)
Leadership
President	Julia Klöckner, CDU/CSU Since 25 March 2025
Vice presidents	Josephine Ortleb, SPD Since 25 March 2025
	Andrea Lindholz, CDU/CSU Since 25 March 2025
	Omid Nouripour, Alliance 90/The Greens Since 25 March 2025
	Bodo Ramelow, The Left Since 25 March 2025
Structure
Seats	630
Political groups	Government (328)      CDU/CSU (208)      CDU (164)      CSU (44)      SPD (120) Opposition (302)      AfD (151)      The Greens (85)      The Left (64)      Non-attached (2)      SSW (1)      Independent (1)
Elections
Voting system	Mixed-member proportional representation (MMP)
Last election	23 February 2025
Next election	On or before 25 March 2029
Meeting place
Reichstag building Mitte, Berlin, Germany
Constitution
Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany

The Bundestag (which means "Federal Assembly" in German) is the main law-making body in Germany. It's like the country's biggest classroom where elected representatives discuss and decide on laws. It's the only part of the government that is directly chosen by the people of Germany. The Bundestag was created in 1949 as one of Germany's two law-making groups, the other being the Bundesrat.

The people who work in the Bundestag are called Members of Parliament (MPs). They represent everyone in Germany. They promise to make decisions based on what they believe is best for the country. There are 630 members in the Bundestag right now, for the current 21st legislative period. German citizens who are 18 years old or older vote for these members every four years. The voting system tries to make sure that all parts of Germany and all major ideas are represented fairly. The Bundestag cannot decide to end its own term; only the president of Germany can do that under special circumstances.

The Bundestag works with the Bundesrat to create laws for the whole country. The Bundestag has more power than the Bundesrat, which represents the different states of Germany. New laws usually start in the Bundestag. The Bundesrat can agree to laws or suggest changes. But the Bundestag can often overrule the Bundesrat's objections. The most important job of the Bundestag is to choose the Chancellor (who is like the head of the government) and to decide how the country's money will be spent.

Since 1999, the Bundestag has met in the famous Reichstag building in Berlin. It also has other offices nearby and even its own special police force! The person in charge of the Bundestag is called the President. Since 2025, Julia Klöckner from the CDU/CSU party has been the President of the Bundestag. This position is very important, ranking second in Germany after the President of the country.

A Look Back: The History of Germany's Parliament

The German Unity Flag waves in front of the Reichstag building in Berlin. This flag is a reminder of when East and West Germany became one country again on October 3, 1990.

The idea of a "Bundestag" or a parliament in Germany is quite old. The very first group called "Bundestag" met in Frankfurt am Main from 1816 to 1866. It was a meeting of representatives from different German states. Later, in 1848, people tried to create an elected parliament for a united Germany, but it didn't last.

In 1866, a new German state was formed, and it had an elected parliament called the Reichstag. The famous Reichstag building, where the Bundestag meets today, was built in 1888. At that time, Germany was a monarchy with some democratic ideas. The Reichstag helped make laws and controlled the country's money. However, the government leader (the Chancellor) answered only to the emperor, not to the parliament. It wasn't until 1918, near the end of the First World War, that the Reichstag gained more power to influence the Chancellor. Also, only men over 25 could vote back then.

After the First World War, Germany became a republic with a new constitution in 1919. This was called the Weimar Republic. The voting age was lowered to 21, and women finally got the right to vote! However, this first German democracy faced many challenges. It was hard for parties to agree, and governments changed often. In the 1930s, Germany went through a very difficult time. Its democracy failed, and one political party took complete control, ending the parliament's power. The Reichstag stopped meeting in 1942.

After World War II, in 1949, Germany created a new democratic constitution. This is when the modern Bundestag was established. Because Germany was divided into East and West, the Bundestag mainly served West Germany until 1990. West Berlin citizens couldn't vote directly for Bundestag members, but they had representatives. The Bundestag met in Bonn during this time.

When Germany became one country again in 1990, the Bundestag became the parliament for all of Germany. In 1999, it moved from Bonn back to its historic home in the Reichstag building in Berlin.

What the Bundestag Does: Its Main Jobs

The Bundestag has several very important jobs for Germany.

Making Laws for Germany

The Bundestag, along with the Bundesrat, is responsible for creating all the laws in Germany.

• Starting a new law: A new law idea, called a "bill," can come from the government, the Bundesrat, or a group of Bundestag members.
• Discussion and changes: Once a bill is introduced, it's discussed in the Bundestag. It then goes to special committees, which are like smaller expert groups. These committees carefully review the bill and can suggest changes.
• Voting: After the committees, the bill comes back to the full Bundestag for more discussion and a final vote. For most laws, a simple majority (more "yes" votes than "no" votes) is needed. For very important changes, like to the Basic Law (Germany's constitution), a special two-thirds majority is required.

After the Bundestag passes a law, it goes to the Bundesrat. If the Bundesrat agrees, or doesn't object within 14 days, the law is usually passed. If the Bundesrat objects, the Bundestag can sometimes overrule that objection. Finally, the President of Germany signs the law, and it officially becomes part of the country's rules.

Choosing Important Leaders

The Bundestag also has the job of electing several key people for Germany.

Electing the Chancellor

The most important election the Bundestag holds is for the Chancellor. The Chancellor is the head of the government, similar to a prime minister.

• When a new Bundestag meets, or if the Chancellor's position becomes empty, the Bundestag elects a new one.
• To become Chancellor, a candidate needs a special majority of votes from all members of the Bundestag. This is called the "Chancellor majority."
• The President of Germany usually suggests a candidate first. If that person gets enough votes, they become Chancellor.
• If not, the Bundestag can suggest other candidates and vote again. If no one gets the "Chancellor majority" after a few tries, the President of Germany can either appoint the person with the most votes or call for new elections.

Friedrich Merz became Chancellor in 2025. He was elected during the second round of voting.

Electing Judges and Other Officials

The Bundestag shares responsibility with the Bundesrat for electing the judges of the Federal Constitutional Court. Both chambers elect four judges to each of the court's two senates. These judges need a two-thirds majority vote.

The Bundestag also elects other important officials, like the President and Vice President of the Federal Audit Office, and the Commissioner for the Armed Forces.

All members of the Bundestag are also part of a larger group called the Federal Convention, which elects the President of Germany.

How Long the Bundestag Serves and How Laws Carry Over

The Bundestag's role in Germany's political system.

Members of the Bundestag are elected for four years. New elections must happen between 46 and 48 months after the previous election.

Sometimes, there can be an early election. This happens if the President of Germany dissolves the Bundestag. But this can only happen in specific situations, like if the Bundestag can't agree on a Chancellor, or if the Chancellor asks for new elections after losing a special vote. This rule helps encourage political parties to work together and form stable governments.

A Bundestag's term ends when a newly elected Bundestag meets for the first time. This means there's never a time when Germany doesn't have a parliament.

When a new Bundestag starts, it's like a fresh start. Any laws or ideas that were being discussed by the old Bundestag but weren't finished have to be started all over again. This is called the principle of discontinuation. However, sometimes the new Bundestag can decide to quickly pick up old discussions to save time.

How Members are Elected and Who Can Join

Germany's Election System

A Bundestag ballot from the 2005 election. On the left, you see candidates for your local area. On the right, you vote for a political party.

Germany uses a special voting system that combines two ways of electing people:

• First Vote: You vote for a specific person to represent your local area (your "constituency"). The person with the most votes in that area wins.
• Second Vote: You vote for a political party. This vote is super important because it decides how many seats each party gets in total in the Bundestag.

The Bundestag has a fixed number of 630 members. The second votes make sure that the number of seats a party gets in the Bundestag matches the percentage of votes they received nationwide.

To get seats in the Bundestag, a party usually needs to win at least three local areas with their first votes, or get at least 5% of all the second votes across the country. This rule helps make sure that only parties with significant support get into parliament, making it easier to form stable governments. However, parties representing recognized national minorities (like Danes or Frisians in Germany) don't have to meet this 5% rule.

What Happens if a Member Leaves Early?

If a Member of Parliament leaves the Bundestag before their term is over (for example, if they resign or pass away), another person from their party takes their place. This person is usually the next one on the party's list of candidates from that state. If the person who left was an independent candidate, their seat remains empty.

Who Can Be a Member?

Anyone who is a German citizen and is old enough to vote can be elected as a Member of the Bundestag.

Latest Election Results (2025)

The most recent federal election happened on Sunday, February 23, 2025. This election chose the members for the 21st Bundestag.

Party		Party list			Constituency			Total seats	+/–
		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats
	Christian Democratic Union	11,194,700	22.55	36	12,601,967	25.46	128	164	+12
	Alternative for Germany	10,327,148	20.80	110	10,175,438	20.56	42	152	+69
	Social Democratic Party	8,148,284	16.41	76	9,934,614	20.07	44	120	–86
	Alliance 90/The Greens	5,761,476	11.61	73	5,442,912	11.00	12	85	–33
	The Left	4,355,382	8.77	58	3,932,584	7.94	6	64	+25
	Christian Social Union	2,963,732	5.97	0	3,271,730	6.61	44	44	–1
	Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance	2,468,670	4.97	0	299,226	0.60	0	0	New
	Free Democratic Party	2,148,878	4.33	0	1,623,351	3.28	0	0	–91
	Free Voters	769,170	1.55	0	1,254,488	2.53	0	0	0
	Human Environment Animal Protection Party	482,032	0.97	0	82,485	0.17	0	0	0
	Volt Germany	355,146	0.72	0	391,577	0.79	0	0	0
	Die PARTEI	242,806	0.49	0	122,386	0.25	0	0	0
	Grassroots Democratic Party of Germany	85,557	0.17	0	41,903	0.08	0	0	0
	Bündnis Deutschland	79,012	0.16	0	88,046	0.18	0	0	New
	South Schleswig Voters' Association	76,126	0.15	1	58,773	0.12	0	1	0
	Ecological Democratic Party	49,730	0.10	0	54,641	0.11	0	0	0
	Team Todenhöfer	24,558	0.05	0	9,757	0.02	0	0	0
	Party of Progress	21,377	0.04	0	1,282	0.00	0	0	0
	Marxist–Leninist Party of Germany	19,876	0.04	0	24,208	0.05	0	0	0
	Party of Humanists	14,446	0.03	0	1,873	0.00	0	0	0
	Pirate Party Germany	13,809	0.03	0	2,152	0.00	0	0	0
	Bavaria Party	12,315	0.02	0	5,784	0.01	0	0	0
	Alliance C – Christians for Germany	11,784	0.02	0	2,021	0.00	0	0	0
	MERA25	7,128	0.01	0	658	0.00	0	0	New
	Values Union	6,803	0.01	0	2,844	0.01	0	0	New
	Bürgerrechtsbewegung Solidarität	719	0.00	0	1,303	0.00	0	0	0
	Human World	694	0.00	0				0	0
	Socialist Equality Party	425	0.00	0	73	0.00	0	0	0
	Party for Rejuvenation Research	304	0.00	0				0	0
	Independents				70,110	0.14	0	0	0
Total		49,642,087	100.00	354	49,498,186	100.00	276	630	–105
Valid votes		49,642,087	99.43		49,498,186	99.14
Invalid/blank votes		285,228	0.57		429,129	0.86
Total votes		49,927,315	100.00		49,927,315	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		60,490,603	82.54		60,490,603	82.54
Source: Federal Returning Officer

Bundestag Sessions Over Time

     Parties in the ruling coalition

Leaders of the Bundestag Since 1949

How the Bundestag is Organized

The Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders-Haus, one of the Bundestag's buildings, which houses the parliamentary library.

The Bundestag has different groups and leaders to help it work smoothly.

The Presidium and Council of Elders

The Presidium is like the main leadership team. It includes the President of the Bundestag and several Vice Presidents. The President is the main leader, and each major political group usually gets to nominate a Vice President.

The Council of Elders is another important group. It helps plan the daily work of the Bundestag. It decides what topics will be discussed and who will lead the different committees. This council is also where different political groups talk and try to agree on how to handle laws and other issues.

Working Schedule

The Bundestag is always ready to work. It sets its own schedule. Usually, members meet for about twenty weeks each year. They have breaks, especially a long summer break, when they go back to their home areas to meet with the people they represent.

A typical week in the Bundestag has a set routine:

• Monday and Tuesday: Political groups meet internally to discuss their plans.
• Wednesday to Friday: The main meetings (plenary sessions) happen, and committees also meet. Sometimes, very important discussions in the main hall will pause committee meetings so everyone can be there.
• Big events include speeches by the Chancellor and debates about the country's budget.

The Bundestag can also hold special meetings if one third of its members, the President of Germany, or the Chancellor asks for one.

Political Groups (Factions)

The most important groups within the Bundestag are called factions (Fraktionen). A faction is made up of members from the same political party. To form a faction, a group needs at least 5% of all the members of parliament.

• The CDU and CSU parties always form one big faction together. This is because the CSU only runs in one state, and the CDU runs in all the others.
• The size of a faction determines how much time its members get to speak, how many leaders they can have on committees, and how much money they receive for their work.

Each faction has its own leaders who represent the group and help organize its activities. They meet every Tuesday to discuss laws and decide their party's position.

Smaller groups that don't have enough members to be a full "faction" can sometimes be recognized as a "group." They get some privileges, but not as many as a full faction.

Committees: The Expert Teams

Most of the detailed work on laws happens in special groups called standing committees. These committees are like expert teams for different topics, such as defense, agriculture, or the economy. There are many committees, usually matching the number of government ministries.

The number of members from each political group on a committee reflects how many seats that group has in the main Bundestag. Even opposition parties (those not in the government) can lead some important committees. For example, the committee that handles the country's budget is often led by a member of the largest opposition party.

Behind the Scenes: Administration

The Bundestag members and leaders are supported by the Bundestag Administration. This team of about 3,000 employees helps with all the paperwork, research, and daily tasks to keep the parliament running smoothly.

Where the Bundestag Meets

Also following the tradition of German diets, the German Bundestag can legally convene on any location, domestic and foreign. The Reichstag plenary chamber is not determined by law as the location of the assembly, making it a facility of convenience.

After World War II, the Bundestag didn't have its own building. It met in the Bundeshaus in Bonn. For a while, it even met in a radio building in Cologne! Until 1965, the Bundestag held nine sessions in West Berlin. These meetings sometimes caused protests from the Soviet Union.

A very special meeting happened on October 4, 1990, right after Germany was reunified. The Bundestag met inside the Reichstag building in Berlin for the first time in 57 years! Soon after, the parliament decided to officially move from Bonn back to Berlin.

See also

In Spanish: Bundestag para niños

• German governing coalition
• Parliamentwatch