Important Notice: Bundestag Electoral System Changes

In March 2008, Germany adopted the Sainte-Laguë/Schepers method for the proportional allocation of Bundestag seats, and in May 2013 an electoral reform introduced a new mechanism for allocating Bundestag seats (which nonetheless retains the Sainte-Laguë/Schepers method for the distribution of mandates). This page describes the Niemayer variation of the largest remainder method used in Bundestag elections from 1987 to 2005.

New Zealand, which adopted Germany's Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) electoral system in 1993, uses the Sainte-Laguë method for the distribution of parliamentary seats since 1996. Elections to the New Zealand House of Representatives describes the Sainte-Laguë method as implemented in the South Pacific island nation.

• Allocation of Seats in the 1998 Bundestag Election
• Allocation of Seats in the 2002 Bundestag Election

Allocation of Seats in the 1998 Bundestag Election

In the 1998 Bundestag election, six parties, namely the SPD, the CDU and its Bavarian counterpart, the CSU (which forms a joint parliamentary group with the CDU but runs as a separate party), Alliance 90/The Greens, the F.D.P. and the PDS received at least five percent of all valid second votes cast, and were thus entitled to participate in the proportional allocation of seats at the federal level; between themselves, these parties accumulated a total of 46,408,690 second votes. None of the other parties that participated in the election reached the five percent threshold nor received any constituency mandates; therefore, these were excluded from the apportionment process.

The next step was to calculate the number of seats each one of the six qualifying parties was entitled to receive. The results were as follows:

At this point, the allocation of Bundestag seats stood as follows:

However, four of the 656 seats remained to be allocated. The highest decimal fractions were then determined, by sorting them in descending order, as shown below:

Since the CSU, the CDU, Alliance 90/The Greens and the PDS had the four largest fractions, one seat was allocated to each of these parties. This operation completed the initial allocation of seats at the federal level in the following manner:

The seats obtained by each party were then distributed in proportion to the votes received by its Land lists. For example, in Nordrhein-Westfalen the SPD received 5,097,425 of the 20,181,269 second votes cast for the party. Since the party was awarded 285 Bundestag mandates at the federal level, the proportionate share of party mandates in this Land was calculated as follows:

for an initial total of 71 seats.

The Land-level allocation of SPD mandates according to the Niemayer variation of the largest remainder method produced the following results:

A total of ten unallocated SPD seats were distributed among the party Land lists with the largest decimal fractions, presented below in descending order:

As a result, the distribution of SPD seats at the Land level stood as follows:

The process was repeated with the CDU, Alliance 90/The Greens, F.D.P. and PDS Land lists. In the case of the CSU, all its votes were cast in Bayern (Bavaria), the only state where the party is organized and contests elections, so no allocation among Land lists was necessary.

It should be noted that all Land lists of a party that qualifies for Bundestag representation participate in the Land-level allocation of party seats, even when they have received less than five percent of the vote in their respective Länder.

At this point, the direct mandates won by each party in a particular Land (if any) were deducted from its proportional seat allocation. For example, the 53 constituency seats won by the SPD in Nordrhein-Westfalen were subtracted from its proportional allocation of 72 seats, so the party was awarded nineteen list seats in that Land. In the case of Alliance 90/The Greens and the F.D.P. all their seats came from their respective party lists, as neither party won constituency seats.

However, in several Länder the number of constituency seats won by the SPD exceeded the Land list seat allocation. For example, in Brandenburg the SPD list was allocated nine seats, but the party secured twelve direct mandates, or three seats above the number to which it was entitled. As noted previously, the electoral law allows parties to keep these additional mandates. In this case, the SPD retained the surplus or overhang seats, and none of the individuals in the party Land list was elected. Nationwide, the SPD won thirteen overhang seats, thus securing 298 of the 669 seats in the expanded Bundestag, which were distributed among the Lander in the following manner:

Shortly thereafter, the SPD formed a coalition government with Alliance 90/The Greens. Although the overhang seats won by the SPD did not change the outcome of the election, the surplus mandates provided the ruling coalition with a comfortable Bundestag majority of twenty-one seats over the combined opposition parties, as opposed to a narrow eight-seat majority on a strictly proportional seat allocation.

Allocation of Seats in the 2002 Bundestag Election

In the 2002 Bundestag election, five parties, namely the SPD, the CDU, the CSU, Alliance 90/The Greens and the F.D.P. won at least five percent of all valid second votes cast, which entitled them to participate in the proportional distribution of seats at the federal level; between themselves, these parties accumulated a total of 44,620,479 second votes. None of the other parties that participated in the election reached the five percent threshold nor received any constituency mandates (save for the PDS, which won two direct mandates in East Berlin); therefore, these were excluded from the apportionment process. Additionally, the two direct mandates won by the PDS were deducted from the total number of seats to be distributed by proportional representation.

The next step was to calculate the number of seats each one of the five qualifying parties was entitled to receive. The results were as follows:

At this point, the allocation of Bundestag seats - including the two direct mandates won by the PDS - stood as follows:

However, three of the 598 seats remained to be allocated. The highest decimal fractions were then determined, by sorting them in descending order, as shown below:

Since the SPD, Alliance 90/The Greens and the CSU had the three largest fractions, one seat was allocated to each of these parties. This operation completed the initial allocation of seats at the federal level in the following manner:

The seats obtained by each party were then distributed in proportion to the votes received by its Land lists. For example, in Nordrhein-Westfalen the SPD received 4,499,388 of the 18,488,668 second votes cast for the party. Since the party was awarded 247 Bundestag mandates at the federal level, the proportionate share of party mandates in this Land was calculated as follows:

for an initial total of 60 seats, which remained unchanged when all SPD mandates were allocated among its sixteen Land lists. The process was repeated with the CDU, Alliance 90/The Greens and F.D.P. Land lists. In the case of the CSU, all its votes were cast in Bayern (Bavaria), so no allocation among Land lists was necessary.

At this point, the direct mandates won by each party in a particular Land (if any) were deducted from its proportional seat allocation. For example, the 45 constituency seats won by the SPD in Nordrhein-Westfalen were subtracted from its proportional allocation of 60 seats, so the party was awarded fifteen list seats in that Land. All the F.D.P. seats came from Land lists, as that party won no constituency seats; this was also the case with all but one of the seats won by Alliance 90/The Greens, which for the first time ever won a direct mandate (in Berlin.)

However, in several Länder the number of constituency seats won by the SPD and the CDU exceeded the Land list seat allocation. For example, in Sachsen-Anhalt the SPD list was allocated eight seats, but the party secured ten direct mandates, or two seats above the number to which it was entitled. Since the electoral law allows parties to retain these surplus or overhang seats, the SPD, with four overhang seats, secured 251 of the 603 seats in the expanded Bundestag, while the CDU, with one overhang seat, increased its representation to 190 seats.

After the election, the SPD renewed the coalition agreement with Alliance 90/The Greens. The overhang seats won by the SPD and the CDU did not change the outcome of the election, but the surplus mandates increased the SPD-Alliance 90/The Greens overall majority to nine seats, as opposed to a six-seat margin on a strictly proportional seat allocation.

Copyright © 2002-2013 Manuel Álvarez-Rivera. All Rights Reserved.
Last update: September 15, 2013.