Germans Vote 2021

Germany’s parliamentary democracy is home to a wide range of political parties. In fact, more than 40 parties received votes in the 2017 national election. While many parties have come and gone, this animation focuses on those currently represented in Germany’s Bundestag, the lower house of parliament, and provides background on how they got there.

How do political parties and politicians become popular? How do they market their ideas to the general public? How do they get you to vote for them? This process is called political campaigning, and this animation takes a closer look at how this process works in Germany ahead of election day.

With 83 million inhabitants, Germany is the largest democracy in the European Union. Every four years, Germans participate in a parliamentary election to determine the composition of the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament. This animation provides a better understanding of how Germans go to the ballot box and participate in their country’s notably complex electoral system.

When polls close on election day in Germany, voters are provided with some answers, mainly how the various political parties performed. But after election day, one question immediately arises in the days, weeks, and sometimes months that follow: which parties will form a coalition and govern the country for the next four years?