2022 German federal election

2022 German Bundestag election

July 1, 2022 (2022-07-01)
All 600 seats in the Bundestag 301 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered	79,256,137
Turnout	65,227,800 (82%)
First party Second party Third party   Leader Wilhelm Gräbe Matilda Hofmann Angelina Meyer Party SDP DA Greens Last election 2018 2018 2018 Seats before 162 66 42 Seats won 174 78 60 Seat change +12 +12 +18 Popular vote 18,916,062 8,479,614 6,522,780 Percentage 29% 13% 10%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Dietmar Weidel Janine Lemke Karl Schulz Party CDP NA MF Last election 2018 2018 2018 Seats before 140 74 38 Seats won 150 54 48 Seat change +10 -20 +10 Popular vote 16,306,950 5,870,502 5,218,224 Percentage 25% 9% 8%   Seventh party   Leader Rosa Schnapp Party TL Last election 2018 Seats before 78 Seats won 36 Seat change -42 Popular vote 3,913,668 Percentage 6%
Government before election SDP-Greens-DA-Left Second Gräbe cabinet Government after election SDP-Greens-DA Third Gräbe cabinet

On July 1st, 2022, federal elections were held in the German Republic to elect the 27th Bundestag. All 600 seats were at stake for election.

The Social Democratic Party, led by incumbent Chancellor Wilhelm Gräbe, gained a third consecutive electoral victory in the Bundestag, gaining 29% of the popular vote (174 seats). The Democratic Alliance and Green parties, two of the SDP's coalition partners from the previous Bundestag, gained 13% (78 seats) and 10% (60 seats) respectively. The remaining coalition partner from the previous Bundestag, the Left Party, suffered a huge defeat, losing 42 out of their 78 seats.

The opposition parties from before the election saw a shift further to the center, with the far-right National Alternative losing 20 seats, with 54 remaining, while the center-right Conservatives and Monarchists gained 10 seats each, giving them 150 and 48 seats respectively.

The SDP, DA, and Greens, having made an agreement beforehand to form a coalition immediately if they were able to, formed an official coalition once the Bureau of Elections released the official results. This agreement cut out the Left Party, making the new coalition more moderate overall. This new coalition has 312 out of 600 seats, or 52% of seats.

Background

2018 Federal Election and Coalition

The 2018 election for the Bundestag was held after the Social Democratic Party regained control in the Bundestag in 2014 for the first time since the 2002 federal election. For the first time since 1998's election, it was impossible for a governemnt to be formed with 3 parties. The 4 parties that agreed to form a coalition government were the Social Democratic Party, Green Party, Democratic Alliance, and Left Party, with the SDP as coalition leader and Wilhelm Gräbe as Chancellor for a second term.

The coalition faced numerous challenges, as the more capitalist Democratic Alliance was at odds with the more democratic socialist Left Party. However, the two parties managed to make compromises witht he mediation of their other two coalition partners.

Leadership changes

During the 2020 state elections in Bavaria, Brandenburg, and Hanover, the Conservative Party and Democratic Alliance suffered huge losses, with them losing their governing majority in Brandenburg to a Left-SDP-Greens coalition and their Hanover majority to a SDP-Greens coalition. These losses caused the leaders to resign from their parties, triggering leadership elections and further shaking voter faith. The former leaders were replaced by Matilda Hofmann for Democratic Awakening, and Dietmar Weidel for the Conservatives.

2021 local government crises

During the beginning of 2021, the state governments of Brandenburg and Baden-Wurttemburg failed to pass state budgets due to the opposition of the Left Party. This caused the collapse of the governing coalitions in those states and the formation of SDP-Greens-DA governments in both, repalcing the previous Left-SDP coalitions. This further reduced the popularity of the Left Party with their voters.

Campaign

Major Issues

After the 2021 floods in the state of North Rhine, climate change became a large part of the election campaign. The SDP and Greens announced a program of energy transiton (energiewende) from coal-based power plants to nuclear, renewables such as solar and wind, and the builing of hydroelectric plants on the Rhine, Oder, and Danube rivers. The Conservatives and Democratic Awakening stated thair policy of incentives for companies that reduced their carbon emissions.

Red Scare

As the popularity of the Left Party remained high in the polls in the late parts of 2021, the Conservatives and National Alternative parties pushed the idea of a Red Scare, that the Left Party would be able to be in government again and push socialist and communist ideology to the nation.