At stake in this election:

• 669 seats in the Federal Assembly (Bundestag)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Roman HERZOG *
• Head of Government: Chancellor Dr. Helmut KOHL
• Assembly: Germany has a bicameral Parliament (Parlament) consisting of the Federal Assembly (Bundestag) with 656 seats and the Federal Council (Bundesrat) with 69 seats.

* The President is elected by indirect vote by the Federal Convention to serve a 5-year term. The Federal Convention includes all members of the Federal Assembly and an equal number of delegates elected by the state parliaments.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by indirect vote to serve a 5-year term.
• In the Federal Assembly (Bundestag) 656 members are elected by direct vote to serve 4-year terms*. In the Federal Council (Bundesrat) 69 members are .**

* A party must win 5% of the national vote or three direct mandates to gain representation

** 69 members are appointed by the Land (federal state) governments.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)
  • Leader: Gerhard SCHROEDER, Oskar LAFONTAINE
  • Seats won in this Federal Assembly election: 298
  • Seats won in last Federal Assembly election: 252
• Party: Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
  • Leader: Helmut KOHL
  • Seats won in this Federal Assembly election: 198
  • Seats won in last Federal Assembly election: 244
• Party: Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU)
  • Leader: Theo WAIGEL
  • Seats won in this Federal Assembly election: 47
  • Seats won in last Federal Assembly election: 50
• Party: Alliance '90 / The Greens
  • Leader: Juergen TRITTIN, Joschka FISCHER
  • Seats won in this Federal Assembly election: 47
  • Seats won in last Federal Assembly election: 49
• Party: Free Democratic Party (FDP)
  • Leader: Wolfgang GERHARDT
  • Seats won in this Federal Assembly election: 43
  • Seats won in last Federal Assembly election: 47
• Party: Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS)
  • Leader: Lothar BISKY
  • Seats won in this Federal Assembly election: 36
  • Seats won in last Federal Assembly election: 30

Last Parliamentary election:

• Parliamentary elections were last held on October 16, 1994.
  672 seats (includes 16 overhang mandates) were decided on in the last election.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 82,047,195 (1998)
• Registered Voters: 60,710,333 (1998)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 41,966,837 (1998)

·         Is Germany a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Germany ratified CEDAW: Yes (10 July 1985)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 207 (German Bundestag) following the 1998 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 6 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Germany a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Germany ratified CRPD: Yes (24 February 2009)

·         Population with a disability: 12,307,079 (est.)