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Abstract

The Bundestag election results from 1949 to 2017 illustrate the change in the party system in the Federal Republic of Germany. They show the decline in voter support for the two major parties, the CDU/CSU and SPD, and the simultaneous growth of smaller parties on the fringes of the political spectrum. Voter turnout has been declining since the 1980s but is still high compared to other countries. The table only contains data on second votes (i.e. votes for a party), as these votes form the main basis for the distribution of seats in the Bundestag.

Distribution of Seats in the Bundestag 1949 - 2017

Source

Year[1]

in total[2]

CDU/CSU

SPD

FDP

GREEN[3]

LEFT[4]

AfD

Other[5]

1949

402

139

131

52

-

-

-

80

1953

487

243

151

48

-

-

-

45

1957

497

270

169

41

-

-

-

17

1961

499

242

190

67

-

-

-

-

1965

496

245

202

49

-

-

-

-

1969

496

242

224

30

-

-

-

-

1972

496

225

230

41

-

-

-

-

1976

496

243

214

39

-

-

-

-

1980

497

226

218

53

-

-

-

-

1983

498

244

193

34

27

-

-

-

1987

497

223

186

46

42

-

-

-

1990

662

319

239

79

8

17

-

-

1994

672

294

252

47

49

30

-

-

1998

669

245

298

43

47

36

-

-

2002

603

248

251

47

55

2

-

-

2005

614

226

222

61

51

54

-

-

2009

622

239

146

93

68

76

-

-

2013

631

311

193

-

63

64

-

-

2017

709

246

153

80

67

69

94

-

Notes

[1] 1) until 1987 only old federal states (without West Berlin deputies)
2002: Reduction of constituencies from 328 to 299
[2] ) of which overhang mandates
1949: 2 in total: 1 SPD Bremen, 1 CDU Baden-Württemberg
1953: 3 in total: 2 CDU Schleswig-Holstein, 1 Hamburg bloc (CDU+FDP+DP) Hamburg
1957: total 3: 3 CDU Schleswig-Holstein
1961: 5 in total: 4 CDU Schleswig-Holstein, 1 CDU Saarland
1965: -
1969: -
1972: -
1976: -
1980: total 1: 1 SPD Schleswig-Holstein
1983: 2 in total: 1 SPD Hamburg, 1 SPD Bremen
1987: total 1: 1 CDU Baden-Württemberg
1990: 6 in total: 2 CDU Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, 3 CDU Saxony-Anhalt, 1 CDU Thuringia
1994: 16 in total: 2 CDU Baden-Württemberg, 2 CDU Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, 1 CDU Saxony-Anhalt, 3 CDU Thuringia, 3 CDU Saxony, 1 SPD Bremen, 3 SPD Brandenburg
1998: 13 in total: 1 SPD Hamburg, 3 SPD Brandenburg, 2 SPD Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, 4 SPD Saxony-Anhalt, 3 SPD Thuringia
2002: 5 in total: 1 SPD Hamburg, 2 SPD Saxony-Anhalt, 1 SPD Thuringia, 1 CDU Saxony
2005: 16 in total: 1 SPD Hamburg, 1 SPD Saarland, 3 SPD Brandenburg, 4 SPD Saxony-Anhalt, 3 CDU Baden-Württemberg, 4 CDU Saxony
2009: 24 in total: 1 CDU Schleswig-Holstein, 2 CDU Rhineland-Palatinate, 10 CDU Baden-Württemberg, 1 CDU Saarland, 1 CDU Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, 4 CDU Saxony, 1 CDU Thuringia, 3 CSU Bavaria
In 2013, the seat allocation procedure was changed (Federal Election Act of May 3, 2013): any overhang seats are balanced out.
2013: 4 overhang mandates (CDU); 29 equalizing mandates: 13 CDU, 10 SPD, 4 LINKE 2 GREENS
2017: 46 overhang mandates (36 CDU, 7 CSU, 3 SPD); 65 compensatory mandates (19 SPD, 10 LEFT, 10 GREENS, 15 FDP, 11 AfD)
[3] 1990 B90/Greens
[4] before 17.07.2005 PDS; until 15.06.2007 Linkspartei PDS, on 16.06.2007 merger with theWASG and renaming as DIE LINKE.
[5] ) 1949 BP 17; DP 17; KPD 15; WAV 12, Zentrum 10; DRP 5, SSW1, non-party 3
1953: GB/BHE 27; DP 15; Center 3
1957: DP 17

Source: Bundestag election. An analysis of the election on September 24, 2017. Reports by., Mannheim No. 170, November 2017, pp. 83-84. © Forschungsgruppe Wahlen e.V.

Translation: GHDI staff