German Politics: Elections & Voting In Germany | Meet the Germans 

What do you think about the electoral system in Germany?

New Zealand adopted German Mixed Member Proportional Representation (MMP) from the 1996 election and it's brought stability, more community representation from diverse groups and stopped one party having unfettered control of parliament. Thanks Germany 🇩🇪 🙏

Excellent presentation of German elections. I am American and like the idea of multiple parties, and coalitions, instead of two parties who spend so much time and energy to crap on each other.

Rachel is the only person I like to explain my country to me!

The system is amazing. It is not as complicated as it sounds. It means stability and balance of power. I appreciate this system.

As an American it's just surreal to see a government that actually functions.

I first learned about Germany's form of government in the late 70s. I thought then and I still think it is so much more sane than what we have in the US.

Ratchel is Backk...The best of the Best

Good video. I'd like to add that in Germany after the people have elected the parliament, the parliament elects the president of the Bundestag (Bundestagspräsident:in) during the constituent session. It is also the Bundestag which elects the chancellor. The chancellor candidate must gain the absolute majority of the Bundestag members.

Wow a video about politics wich is respecful and doesn't turn into a shitshow. Rachel is back in town. Much apreciated thx. ❤

Rachel has such an awesome accent - love her 'meet the Germans' series!

It's the same system as we have here in the Netherlands. I think what is missing is a second round of votes a month or two after the first votes where the people get to vote between two or maybe three coalitions. Give the politicians these two months to form two or three different coalitions and then let the people decide which coalition they want to have.

another small detail to add is that some party dont even need to overcome the 5% mark. Those are partys that represent minoritys in Germany like the SSW which represent Dänes in Schleswig-Holstein.

I loved the editing on this video. Also, it's great to have you back :)

Diese Sendung ist sehr gut!!!

Grimme Preis für dieses Format!

A very complex system, will watch again. Thank you for the break down. Your reporting and coverage is excellent.👍🏼

As a German who lives in the US I watch merely for amusement American "explanations" of the German electoral system. Most of the time these programs are totally off the mark, struggle with the more than 2 parties / 5% hurdle and totally collapse when attempting to explain coalitions. Nobody (and I mean nobody) ever got the Erststimme and Zweitstimme correct. This was the first time where I find a good explanation (including Erst- und Zweitstimme), an attempt to stay politically neutral and as far as I can see is easy to understand and factually correct. I disagree with 2 statements from interviewees: The individual candidate is by far less important than the party and the lady who laments that the strongest party may not be in government merely presents a hypothetical, this has never happened. But even if it did: the very fact that Germans vote a program rather than a candidate makes her argument a non issue. If I am a SPD (likely to be come the strongest party) supporter I might vote "Die Linke" because I want more progressive politics in a coalition than traditional SPD politics or I may vote for "Die Gruenen / Buendnis 90" if I want more environmental protection. The German system simply allows every voter many options, tactics and opportunities to influence the composition of the final government.

I love the detail analysis of how Rachel is giving about the historical events made the political election system which switched from Monarchy, to dictatorship, and after the fall of the Berlin wall, to a vital democratic country. I'm planning to learn more by returning to the topic of how voting, and elections are done, and how the over 500 representatives are elected in general election. This system, although it sounds complicated gives political and economic stability to the country. I do thank Rachel and my professor for the recommendation.

Excellent presentation.Rachel has explained how and why the number of members of the Bundestag varies and how it happened that the Bundestag ended up with no less than 709 MPs after one Election. The second vote produces a much more complicated result than the 'D'Hondt' system used (and much criticised) in the UK for elections to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly. That system at least keeps the number of Members the same.

Your explanation of the first and second votes was very helpful. Vielen Dank!

Wie immer, Rachel macht es sehr interessant. Danke für die info-tainment

Really good video, from what's described it very similar to the way the Scottish Parliament & Welsh Assembly in the UK are elected! I'm in Ireland so it's the system of Proportional Representation using the Single Transferable Vote in Multi Seat Constituencies, so on the ballot paper you do a ranked choice of preference from 1, 2, 3 ..... onwards.

Thank you for making it easier to “verstehen.”

Nice to see you back.

Ah, Rachel, please say "Ausgleichsmandate" again. This sounds so sweet. I think this could be made into a song.

Europe: we have tens of parties and we are totaly free USA:we have two parties and they are some how the same China: we have only one party Russia: you guys have parties?!

Would love to visit Germany some day, love these videos, and this lady doing the video is very good at her job. Thank you and more please .

I enjoyed your presentation because it was simple and concise. I get it now. And there's no way you'd ever get the US to accept that system but I like it.

Welcome back Rachel and team..!!!

Great explanation, thank you.

I actually never heard of the term "Kiwi coalition", but I like it 😄

The @/meetthegermans series is probably one of the best "German culture promoters" internationally. Every video is just fantastic.

Despite it's quite complicated to a foreigner, Rachel made it kinda easy to grasp.

In the UK we still have "First Past the Post" for UK National Elections. Devolved governments, the other constituent countries other then England, have a mixture of that and proportional representation for their own government. The issue of "First Past the Post" is that the party gaining power may have a very low proportion of those that vote. Voting is not compulsory in the UK. The proportional voting system is likely to lead to a coalition that I think overall is probably best for the country as you have to work together to get policies through and should reduce the various parties having a go at each other. The two major parties in the England and Wales prefer "First Past the Post" as even with an overall low vote they get the ability to get their policies through that may not be supported by the majority of the UK. (There are rumours that many in the Labour Party are now more interested in PR.) The benefits of "First Past the Post" is that it is quick and often you will know within 48 hours who will rule the country for the next 4-5 years and be Prime Minister. The downside with PR is that usually it takes longer to get to that stage, though this does not appear to be too long for the devolved governments. I think that the UK would be better with PR. And as for Germany their system, though complex, works for them so I can see no reason to change. It's certainly democratic.

@RachelStewart04 wonderful as ever, very informative. I love your content. I think the electoral system is, although imperfect (what democracy is anyways), one that captures the spirit of discussion and stability well, points you touch on. It is amazing to understand how it even came about, it being an offspring of the time when the United Nations was also formed. Politically a truly unique point in history. Sometimes I like your videos because they are funny, others, like this, I like because they are truly well thought out and thorough. I especially connect with the fact that you and I are both integrated foreigners in this country. Cheers Rachel!

Thanks for making this video which help me to vote to right party and right candidate, I just saw this video before going to vote to for the first time in Germany; Thanks to Rachel and DW

Well explained.

You have a better understanding of the German political system than most Germans, most impressive ! Just a very slight point of order: After reunification, it was not decided to have Berlin as capital as this had already been decided by Parliament in the 1950s. Bonn did not like it, there was some debate but it was just a matter of fact.

Finally a new video. To be precise, the right video at the right time!

We have same system in Nepal🇳🇵but the total number of seats in parliament for first vote and proportionate vote are fixed. This system has been causing instability. Lesser parties are kingmaker in government. If they don't get their desired ministries or PMship (turn by turn) they will topple their own coalition government. Also the proportionate seats are given to the wifes and relatives of big politicians. Government is also unable to take action against corrupt leader, so as to prevent the coalition. It is harder to implement reform policies. It has also invited foreign intervention in government formation.

I would vote Rachel immediatly. Im Schleswig-Holstein it becomes more intresting, here the SSW can reach the Landtag under 5% as representetives of the denish minority

The Rachel hype in this comment section is honestly adorable

I will always give Rachel a „LIKE“ Very well presented!!

this is a really good explanation of the voting system!

Very interesting thank you

I like how the party/candidate system of voting promotes multiple parties.

The system is complex but it seems it suits Germany. But there has to be a limit to the seats in Bundestag... I don't think it's manageable to have so many representatives... Nice video from Rachel!

Sehr gut erklärt! Vielen Dank!

your video is full of information nice video

Great system. I think it could be improved by allowing voters to rank parties. That way the political leaders know which kind of coalition the electorate is most okay with.

Super helpful. Thank you so much

You really went all out with these transitions.

Rachel - great as always! 👌

Correction: Kohl had five terms. But not every term was 4 years long. 🤷‍♂️

DW Euromaxx is my ultimate go-to channel on YT! I am a male German Ü50 with an US-background and lover of the English language which I'm still learning to speak and comprehend. What I love the most about DW? It's the positivity and appreciativeness towards the multicultural heritage of GER and its colorful and diverse people, combined with an outside view. Rachel, please do more Lives und sprich mehr deutsch, es ist fast akzentfrei und unglaublich bewundernswert toll! Deutsche Staatsbürgerschaft für Dich ehrenhalber - wenn es eine Petition dafür gäbe, würde ich sie unterzeichnen!

Rachel is best again explaining complex German system into a simple one 😃😃😃

Another well done and very good researched Video from her.Still the best

Thank you for such a clear video on the electoral method used.

I want a video about the small (weird) Parties like DIE PARTEI or V3

A tough challenge to explain what is a very complicated subject, but as always well done Rachel! One thing that could have used a bit more cover was the Bundesrat. It sounds pretty ominous and non-democratic?

Awesome report

best explanation by rachel.

Bigger is not always better. The largest parliament in the world does not automatically mean the best quality. Sadly the parties failed again to work on a plan to make it smaller. What I like about the german systems is, how easy voting is. You don't have to register, you receive the election invitation in the mailbox. I will be out of town on election day, so I scanned the QR code on the invitaton to order the postal ballot documents. They came a couple of days later and I already voted. Even if you go to the election office on election day, there are so many of them that you never have to wait long. If I had to register to vote or had to wait hours in a queue, I probably would not vote at all. Although voting is easy, the voter participation is constantly decreasing which is not good for democracy.

Das war echt gut erklärt.

Rachel always makes a good 👍 video 😊

I have a question. Why do you need to vote twice? Why not vote for representative of the party and party in one vote? Interms of crossing out the person`s name you want to lead the party?

What I like in the German Bundestag is it really is composed of people from different sectors and ideologies. A truly issues based politics. But the election system is really confusing like USA.

At one point I used to look at these things from afar in India and now I live in Berlin. Gives me real joy. Vielen Danke für das Video Rachel! Nächste mal kannst du auch vielleicht wählen! :)

Well, there is only the head of state (president), then there is no special hierarchy of the highest office. And if you meant the line of succession to the presidency, the order is: President of the Bundesrat, President of the Bundestag, first judge of the Verfassungsgericht, and then the chancellor. For a reason Germans don't want the head of state and head of government to be the same person. Unlike France or the US.

Upvote for Rachel!

That was made easy to understand. Thanks for that! Most Germans don’t fully know and understand this system, that is/was me included

Labyrinthine and complex: But it aims at the same thing the USA's three branches aim at: balance. However, in the USA, they certainly have fewer party choices. Perhaps Germany's system achieves balance better! It seems to have more (and more prominent) choices. I don't know at all if balance is achieved better, though; it is only my question. I am glad that DW gives us Ms. Stewart as a choice to listen to--she's a marvelous teacher, for she is listening to her listeners even as she records (writes also?) these videos. Good teachers always listen!

1:26: No, after the Presedent of Germany comes the President of the Bundesrat (who acts as the President's deputy), before the President of the Bundestag. The Chancellor is number 4.

Hi. Wasn't the Paul's church parliament in Frankfurt in 1848 the first taste of democracy in germany as a whole?

Rachel is super cool

This is the best explanation of the federal voting and political system in Germany I have ever seen - and I am German. 😁

Thank you for explaining the two-votes system so well!

It seems to me that the process of forming coalitions in Germany is an imperfect but reasonable way of maintaining stability and democracy. Some fellow Americans have posted how superior it is to our system. I really don't think so, as both systems have adapted to each country's unique political culture and end up with different imperfections. To use the German multiparty system we would need a parliamentary government, not a presidential one; since the outcome of the the legislative election determines who is likely to be Chancellor, and who might end up in the coalition. Americans on the other hand, sometimes vote for a president from one party and then re-elect a congressman or senator from a different party that they've been comfortable with for some time. You cannot get "divided government" in Germany since the executive and legislative branches are not wholly separate. I very much doubt a majority of Americans would be in favor of adopting a German-style constitution, whatever some of us may say to the contrary. Also you Germans ought to consider our history and political culture more carefully before passing judgment or making comparisons. And I could say the same for some of the other Americans who have left comments.

Hi I came across something that I can't find more about if you could help me out that would be great. For people who are obtaining their 2nd Masters they have to pay tuition fees even if it's in a public University?? So I have already done my bachelors in a subject but now I want to take up law in Germany (staatsexams) so would it be considered with tuition fees or without tuition fees.

Amazing

Seems like a decent system. However, as being seen in the US, it's not always the system, but also the voting public's tolerence for not getting "their" way. And Ms Stewart, you'll always get a "like". Well done --- again.

great video

Thank you for the video. When the uk first past the post system implodes (which it clearly will, or we hope) - hopefully we'll copy the German system. Ps the video cuts are a bit too fast for RU-vid.

It took me a week to understand the entire thing, and can say the process is great. Btw I'm not sure whether the system will work in my country India

Very advanced form of democracy which reflects maturity of German society. It will take the US four-hundred years to achieve this level of mature democracy and political civility

3:08 "Leveling Seats"

I would say that the "first taste of democracy" was clearly in 1848.

Whom Can We Trust If No One Is Trustworthy? One of my favorite quips from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is when Tom is defined as “a glittering hero…the pet of the old, the envy of the young,” and there were “some that believed that he would be President, yet, if he escaped hanging.” With these few words, Twain captured the essence of leadership in our world. Those who get to the top are the fiercest, most determined, and most ruthless. Today, the latter quality has become so intense that we can no longer believe our leaders, and certainly not trust them to have our best interest in mind. I am not accusing any leader in particular, or even leaders as a whole. It is simply that in an egoistic world, where people vie to topple one another on their way to the top, the one at the top is clearly the one who trampled over and knocked down more people than anyone else. Concisely, to get to the top in an egoistic world you have to be the biggest egoist. So how do we know whom to trust? We don’t know and we cannot know. All we know is that we are in the dark. In a culture of unhinged selfishness, any conspiracy theory seems reasonable, while truth is nowhere to be found. When every person who says or writes something is trying to promote some hidden agenda, you have no way of knowing who is right, what really happened, or if anything happened at all. The only way to get some clarity in the news and goodwill from our leaders is to say “Enough!” to our current system and build something entirely independent. The guiding principle of such a system should be “information only,” no commentary. Commentary means that information has already been skewed. Information means saying only what happened, as much as possible, not why, and not who is to blame and who we should praise. Concurrently, we must begin a comprehensive process of self-teaching. We have to know not only what is happening, but why we skew and distort everything. In other words, we have to know about human nature and how it inherently presents matters according to its own subjective view, which caters to one’s own interest. To “clear” ourselves from that deformity, we must learn how to rise above our personal interest and develop an equally favorable attitude toward others. This is our only guarantee that our interpretation of things will be even and correct. Once we achieve such an attitude, we will discover that the bad things we see in our world reflect our own, internal wickedness. Our ill-will toward others creates a world where ill-will governs, and so the world is filled with wickedness and cruelty. Therefore, all we need in order to create positive leadership-and to generally eliminate ill-will from the world-is to generate goodwill within us. When we nurture goodwill toward others, we will fill the world with goodwill. As a result, the world will fill with kindness and compassion. By changing ourselves, we will create a world that is opposite from the world we have created through our desires to govern, patronize, and often destroy other people.

As someone watching from the UK, I am questioning a lot of thing right now. We have a first past the post system which while that does bring clarity it also leaves our democratic system open to populist governments. While I believe that the democratic system, I feel that we have an unbalanced democracy. While I have never lived in Germany, I find that a coalition that has to be negotiated isn't a bad thing at times, while it does have it issues, I envy that type of adult approach to politics. While we had a coalition in 2010, that felt a forced situation rather than something that was expected.

i am a 12-year-old american i hardly understand my _own_ country's elections i have no idea why i'm watching this but i'm finding it interesting

Incidentally, the Federal President and the Bundesrat still have an official seat in Bonn - as do the Federal Ministries. The exhibition from minute 5:48 is in the House of History of Germany in Bonn. And yes, the electoral system is very good at when comparing it with Otters.

As a german learner, Rachel's pronunciation of große Koalition left me with this face 😲 so good!

Interesting!

Would it be possible to do some podcasts in German with English subtitles?

Danke...now this Canadian gets it. We've just elected a 'minority' gov't, which will be an informal coalition of the center-left, but your system is much fairer and sensible. Still, it's democratic and we must hold onto that.

0:05 You forgot a spesific design. ;)

Slightly off topic, but RS mentioned she couldn't vote because she is not a German citizen, but I've heard elsewhere that non-citizens, as long as they are at least EU members, CAN vote on the local level. Pls somebody shed some light on this, specifically how far this level needs to be local, and if that is in fact the case, how has Brexit affected Rachel's position in this matter?

04:16 And thats one of the problems...some people just don´t understand that there will never be a 1:1 of the things a party told in the election campaign ,because there is always a partner-party and you have to dind a compromise

What if two or more parties get more seats from the first votes than the second vote?