Following from "The Week in Germany" and a great outline of how an election SHOULD be run. This month Germany is entering the homestretch of the federal election race and the campaigning will reach its climax. Still, compared to US elections, the election campaign is less spectacular. Last week The Washington Post described the campaign in Germany as “sleepy” (see “Second Readings”). Indeed, German candidates start the final phase of the race only weeks before the election and spend less money compared to US spending during election cycles. The Washington Post identified cultural differences as one reason for the different pace of the campaign model in Germany. In my view, the nature of campaigning in Germany deserves a slightly more elaborate explanation. First of all, the electoral system in Germany is different from the one in the US. When the founders of the new German constitution designed the new rules for parliamentary elections after World War II, they were painfully aware of the consequences of the fragmented political landscape during the Weimar Republic (1918 - 1933) and specifically aimed to create stable and democratic conditions in the Bundestag. As a result, along with a five percent minimum threshold of required votes for representation, two voting models were combined, leading to two votes per voter. With the first and so-called relative majority vote (first-past-the-post), voters choose a candidate from their electoral district. With the second vote – following the system of proportional representation – voters determine the share of seats each political party will eventually receive in the Bundestag. If a party wins 25 percent of the valid votes, it will be entitled to 25 percent of the 598 regular seats. A set of complex rules ensures that both systems / both votes can be mathematically combined whereas the proportional element remains the predominant factor for the distribution of power in the Bundestag. This is why elections in Germany are less personalized than in the US: what counts is primarily the share of votes per political party. Given the large variety of the political parties (39 parties alone in this year’s elections), it is highly unlikely that one party will receive an absolute majority of votes and be able to form a government without entering into a party coalition. Voters bear this in mind and consider possible alliances as well as their desired balance of power between the parties when casting their vote. Similarly, during the election campaign, parties might already allude to possible coalitions which they are prepared to enter, thereby trying to convince voters to cast a strategic vote. The strong focus on parties rather than on candidates is part of the explanation why the electoral race in Germany is different from campaigning in the US. Still, following the campaign in Germany is not less exciting. Much more can be said about the German electoral system and the upcoming elections.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Sep 2013 04:13:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015