German Politics: Elections & Voting In Germany | Meet the Germans
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- Опубліковано 16 вер 2021
- With the German election just around the corner and Angela Merkel's time in office coming to an end, Rachel finds out more about how federal elections in Germany actually work. Who can vote? How are parliamentary seats shared out? And what do German people think about coalition governments?
Rachel moved from the UK to Germany in 2016. As a relative newcomer she casts a fresh eye over German clichés and shares her experiences of settling into German life. Every few weeks she explores a new topic - from youth culture to environmentalism or quirks of the German language. This week: It's time for a deep dive into German politics.
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What do you think about the electoral system in Germany?
Coalition governments can work well in a country that respects the rule of law, and that also has an independent judiciary. But I agree with the woman @ 4:20, a system that can prevent the party with the most votes from participating in an elected government at all is not a true democracy.
POST-ELECTION EDIT: Half of Germany voted for little or no change (SPD/CDU/CSU), and half voted for a lot of change (all other parties). Since the "a lot of change" parties are all over the road politically, another "Grand Coalition" government with Olaf Scholz as chancellor best represents the current will of the German voters in my view.
@@patrickfitzgerald2861 But why? When a coalition is formed, they usually have a majority of seats. In that case, they by definition represent the will of the majority of voters. "Strongest party" doesn't really mean much in a system where the strongest party may be very far from representing a majority.
@@varana Politicians going behind closed doors and negotiating a governing coalition that intentionally leaves out the party that got the most votes is not a democratic process, and the people who voted for that party have every right to be unhappy about it.
@@patrickfitzgerald2861 But the voters of the not-strongest parties have every right to be unhappy if a government excludes their party, as well.
In a multi-party system, "strongest party" doesn't really carry much clout. In current polls, the strongest party, the SPD, just has 26%, followed by the Union with 22%. Or as another example, the strongest party in the last Dutch elections got just under 22%.
Insisting you somehow "won" the election or should be guaranteed to be a part of government when you only represent a quarter or a fifth of the voter base, seems counterintuitive to me. It may be a symbolic victory, esp. when you have a long-standing rivalry like in Germany, but what is important are the numbers, not the ranking.
Coalitions are not a stop-gap or a filler measure. They are there to ensure that a majority of the voters is represented. Compromising on your political agenda to form a coalition, is not a bad thing but the ability to do so is one of the basic building-blocks of a functioning democracy.
@@patrickfitzgerald2861 Just get the winning thing out of your mind and think about what democracy is about. If the winning party gained 35 % of the 2. vote, this represents the wish of 35% of the German people.
A coalition of two parties that gained 60% of the second vote together would therefore represent 60% of the votes of the German people and therefore be a better representation of what German people voted for.
However, usually the winning party will form the government but it also needs to compromise on certain aspects to form a coalition.
And since this is not a secret, the idea of possible coalition partners is usually considered by the German people and influences the way we vote.
New Zealand adopted German Mixed Member Proportional Representation (MMP) from the 1996 election and it's brought stability, more community representation from diverse groups and stopped one party having unfettered control of parliament. Thanks Germany 🇩🇪 🙏
Oh cool, thank you for sharing!
@@RachelStewart04 my pleasure 🙏 ☺
That’s cool, I didn’t know that NZ actually adopted something from us, great to hear! Makes me a little bit proud. ❤️ Usually we are looking to other countries to adopt new systems, e.g. from our Scandinavian neighbours.
That's the advantage of the system.
THX for sharing info.
Rachel is the only person I like to explain my country to me!
Kann doch nicht sein das keine Zeitung, keine Nachrichtensendung und kein Lehrer das so gut hin kriegt :D
@@sonderzeichen8414 ich hab noch nie einen Lehrer etwas gutes über Deutschland sagen hören. Schön dass dieser Kanal es schafft ein positives Bild über Deutschland mit interessanten Inhalten zu vermitteln.
@@genki2705 Keine Ahnung, wie die heute drauf sind. Zu meiner Zeit waren de meisten Lehrer Sozis und man musste schon genau hinhören, um die Spreu (Parteigesänge) vom Weizen (Info) zu trennen. Wenn dann mal einer schwarz war, war der meistens sofort verdächtig.
Excellent presentation of German elections. I am American and like the idea of multiple parties, and coalitions, instead of two parties who spend so much time and energy to crap on each other.
The two parties in America have become basically the same. You have a one party system, but in classical American extravagance, you have two of them!
Dude you have more parties! Just vote for your other options ;)
Unfortunately US politics have become a shit show true... but Germans we have to thank the former allies for our great voting system.
You guys took the best of your democracies and fused it into one system... ours.
We got the "first past the post" system from the British, the regional representatives from the US and the multi-party system from the french.
Thank you guys!
I agree, as a German I really cannot identify with either of your two parties over there.
Start at the local and state level. Some US states actually have multi member districts for state legislative elections, they just aren't used that much and a simple change to the law could activate them again. Some places have introduced ranked choice voting which is a start.
As an American it's just surreal to see a government that actually functions.
🤣yes
Oh, and as a little bonus, to turn americans green ;)
German electiona are ALWAYS on sundays (most businesses arn't allowed to operate on sundays).
The locations are generally the schools (they offer everything you need for the election except the ballots/boxes), which are easiely rechable for everyone with enough rooms to prevent long lines. (This year was the first time i saw a line longer then 5 people due corona regulations)
Normally you can vote from 8 am to 6 pm.
In Germany you don't register to vote. You are automatically registered and just have to change your address if with them if you move.
You will be notified about the election 4-5 weeks prior by mail. The notification contains everything you need on the front (voting location, what you need to bring with you) and for vote by mail on the back.
No computers that can be reprogrammed, glitch or crash. Only a ledger with the names of eligible voters for the pollworkers to mark off, ballots, a pen, a table with a privacy screen and a box for each ballot (based on how many elections are taking place at the same time)
How much of your current local, state and federal government has actually stopped functioning? There is a very big difference between a chaotic political situation and non-functioning government, and Germany has their own problems, many of which are as bad or worse than ours.
@@night6724 It's automatically done. You get an invitation to vote in an envelope no matter you want to vote or not. We do not want to register, it's our right. Nobody would register.
@@night6724 Every citizen has an ID card and must register at City Hall when moving to a new city - and is automatically registered as a voter in that city. After all, he doesn't have to vote if he doesn't want to.
The system is amazing. It is not as complicated as it sounds. It means stability and balance of power. I appreciate this system.
It also leads to inertia and no one changing or improving things.
@@Irishtradchannel Better than parties on opposite poles making entirely different policies ending up happening nothing.
The overhang mandate stuff needs to be fixed though. We don't need a bloated parliament with a thousand members.
@@florianritter147 I do not agree.
@@florianritter147 This maybe will be "fixed" this year :D The "biggest" party that will be the reason of these mandates, is the csu.
But it looks like they could drop far below 30%. Therefor, this party will cause much less extra mandates.
But yes, there should be a reform on this rule. the "compromise" that was reached not long ago, basically just helped the csu...and therefor the cdu.
I first learned about Germany's form of government in the late 70s. I thought then and I still think it is so much more sane than what we have in the US.
We were the pioneers back in the 18th century, and it all went reasonably well except for the Civil War. Germany's current government came about in the 20th century, after the disaster of World War II, and then reunification. Now we are the country in trouble, and we may be forced to reinvent our government in order to get out of it.
@@patrickfitzgerald2861 your ancestors werent pioneers they were colonialiers and slave holders who built a system based on racism and supressing minorities it could be time to change that tho like actually rethinking your political system with the two parties for example like america really is a hole
Even with the amendments, the US constitution still in many parts seems to be based on the reality of a 18th century colony, and any change, however sensible, seems to be a kind of a sacrilege.
In a way, losing WW2 was an opportunity for us Germans. We had to start anew with a new Grundgesetz (de-facto constitution) and political system, and we had the knowledge of what did and didn't work in the past (for us, as well as in other countries) at our disposal.
WE ALREADY HAVE DIGITAL TRANSACTIONS WHEN CASH IS DEPOSITED IN BANKS WE CAN DO EVERY DIGITAL TRANSACTIONS.WHY THIS CRYPTO CRAZY COLLAPSING THE ECONOMY. CRYPTO PROMOTERS WANTS TO INVEST ALL CASH IN CRYPTO.THEN NO COMPANY WILL SURVIVE.WE SHOULD INVEST SOME AMOUNT IN GOLD,OTHER STOCKS ECT......
@@jhdix6731 Yes, and that was exactly my point. You have a modern political system that probably could use some minor adjustments. We have an antique one that needs a major overhaul.
Ratchel is Backk...The best of the Best
I'm so glad. These things are jam-packed with facts. I feel almost like a native--in spite of the fact that I knew almost none of this content. A joy to watch.
Wow a video about politics wich is respecful and doesn't turn into a shitshow.
Rachel is back in town. Much apreciated thx. ❤
Thanks!
It's the same system as we have here in the Netherlands. I think what is missing is a second round of votes a month or two after the first votes where the people get to vote between two or maybe three coalitions. Give the politicians these two months to form two or three different coalitions and then let the people decide which coalition they want to have.
Interesting extra layer!
The problem is now often to find at least one that works. No way for a choice among several.
And the problem would be:
If you have 2 predominantly left wing coalitions and 1 predominantly right wing coalition proposed. The (As of rn slightly dominant) Left Wing Voters may split into 2 and the right wing coalition would win.
Good idea, but that wouldn't work sadly
@@lucius6887 if you want to reduce politics to simply left versus right then perhaps you are right. If however one coalition want to prioritise let's say investments in infrastructure, industry and education and the other coalition wants to focus on investments in new technologies, housing and health care then it's not a choice between left or right, but there would actually be a choice of what the government's focus will be for their next term.
@@XEinstein
This is ofc not wrong, but your point also has a flaw:
The most of the possible coalitions are 3-party coalitions. And there would probably be two options with two of the three parties being the same. (For example R2G vs. Traffic Light: The bigger parties are the same (Greens & Social Democrats) with the third party being different. As much as Leftists and Liberals are different, being the smallest partner they wouldn't make much of a difference. The third coalition (Maybe Jamaica) with a very different tone could win, because the other two steal each other votes.
However: There are still the other flaws. You barely manage to get one coalition together and if there would be an option for more, parties could not make coalition deals on purpose to channel their votes to the coalition they prefer
Good video. I'd like to add that in Germany after the people have elected the parliament, the parliament elects the president of the Bundestag (Bundestagspräsident:in) during the constituent session. It is also the Bundestag which elects the chancellor. The chancellor candidate must gain the absolute majority of the Bundestag members.
Boring Bundesliga
Hello❤
another small detail to add is that some party dont even need to overcome the 5% mark. Those are partys that represent minoritys in Germany like the SSW which represent Dänes in Schleswig-Holstein.
but thats state election not federal election iirc
@@Sayu277 Actually, they are exempt from it on a federal level as well. They just need to receive enough votes required to send off at least one MP
these are called "national minorities" and with that comes a special status. there are actually one four accepted national minorities in Germany: the mentioned Danes (Dänes is a bit funny, i guess your from Germany too? :) ), the Sorbs, the Frisians and the Sinti and Roma. You could say these are long-lasting minorities because they are all (documented) settling in Germany for at least 600 years. Some even more than 1200 years.
The special status includes that they have to be represented in the government which is solved through the mentioned exceptions.
But i think these rules apply to the whole EU and every country in it had to write something like that in their laws.
WE ALREADY HAVE DIGITAL TRANSACTIONS WHEN CASH IS DEPOSITED IN BANKS WE CAN DO EVERY DIGITAL TRANSACTIONS.WHY THIS CRYPTO CRAZY COLLAPSING THE ECONOMY. CRYPTO PROMOTERS WANTS TO INVEST ALL CASH IN CRYPTO.THEN NO COMPANY WILL SURVIVE.WE SHOULD INVEST SOME AMOUNT IN GOLD,OTHER STOCKS ECT.......
While they don't go for federal elections, the state elections influence what happens in the bundesrat, which has a big impact for many important laws.
Rachel has such an awesome accent - love her 'meet the Germans' series!
As a German who lives in the US I watch merely for amusement American "explanations" of the German electoral system. Most of the time these programs are totally off the mark, struggle with the more than 2 parties / 5% hurdle and totally collapse when attempting to explain coalitions. Nobody (and I mean nobody) ever got the Erststimme and Zweitstimme correct.
This was the first time where I find a good explanation (including Erst- und Zweitstimme), an attempt to stay politically neutral and as far as I can see is easy to understand and factually correct.
I disagree with 2 statements from interviewees: The individual candidate is by far less important than the party and the lady who laments that the strongest party may not be in government merely presents a hypothetical, this has never happened. But even if it did: the very fact that Germans vote a program rather than a candidate makes her argument a non issue. If I am a SPD (likely to be come the strongest party) supporter I might vote "Die Linke" because I want more progressive politics in a coalition than traditional SPD politics or I may vote for "Die Gruenen / Buendnis 90" if I want more environmental protection.
The German system simply allows every voter many options, tactics and opportunities to influence the composition of the final government.
I think it is remarkable in this election cycle how much the opinion polls have shifted after the candidates for chancellorship were nominated by the three largest parties. I see this as an indicator that personalities have become more important in informing voting intentions. Another signal is how much the voting share of the main parties differ between the different Länder in Eastern Germany based on which party had a well-known politician in the form of Ministerpräsident.
That the strongest party not led the government happened 1976 and 1980 and multiple times in several states, e.g. in Baden-Württemberg 2011
@@kleinerstein2460 You are not entirely correct. SPD was strongest with 43.7%, CDU second with 38.3, CSU third with 10.6 with 38.3, FDP fourth with 6.4; government was a coalition between SPD and FDP in continuation of the coalition before. Now you can split hairs and argue that CDU and CSU are the same party but I strongly advise you not to be caught with a statement like that in Bavaria. Pretty much the same constellation in 1980 with gains by SPD and FDP and losses by CDU and CSU.
Landtagswahlen are an entirely different enchilada. There are many local parties that have considerable influence in specific Laender (states) but are irrelevant on a national level. The video in question was about national elections for the Bundestag, I am not going into the details of each and every of our 16 Bundeslaender.
@@peterhomann2140 But they are the same party if we are talking about the elections for the Bundestag. Technically he/she was right and you were not correct. Plus on a lower administrational level these things happen more often. If that makes the point of the women in the interview more relevant is another question. I didnt agree with her conclusion. Coalitions are showing the voters will because the proportions are still the same. most parties propose different ideas and have strenghts and weaknesses. to mix these strengths and weaknesses is in my opinion way better than a single ruling party.
i only can guess that she confused herself and was thinking about a minority government (Minderheitsregierung). They can be a problematic result of our political system but this is totally unrelated to the act of voting itself.
@@sleepingcity85 I agree with your statements and the CDU / CSU cooperation is a strange thing all around. I was of voting age during the 1980 candidature of one Franz Josef Strauss for chancellor and the immense dissent it caused within the CDU / CSU as Ernst Albrecht was the favorite within the CDU. Strauss threatened to dissolve the cooperation with the CDU and take the CSU nationwide if he would not be nominated.
I was a student at University of Regensburg at the time.
A very complex system, will watch again. Thank you for the break down. Your reporting and coverage is excellent.👍🏼
Glad you enjoyed it, Jill :)
I loved the editing on this video. Also, it's great to have you back :)
Glad you loved it, Gabriel!
Your explanation of the first and second votes was very helpful. Vielen Dank!
Sehr gerne!
Diese Sendung ist sehr gut!!!
Well, India has meddled in the elections. India is a powerful country.
Go back to Russia
@@elennet4116 go back from where you came from
Europe: we have tens of parties and we are totaly free
USA:we have two parties and they are some how the same
China: we have only one party
Russia: you guys have parties?!
Isn't russia not more democratic than china?
I have the feeling that many people have a quite old picture of Russia.
@@Grothgerek you are right, Russia isn’t democratic. However, they still pretend to hold elections. In contrast, China’s one-party system doesn’t even pretend to give people a choice. They claim that they already know what the people supposedly want (like any dictatorship).
China actually has opposition parties. They operate under the direction of the CCP however so it's pointless.
And yet you ignore people in parliament belonging to AfD, although the party can legally be voted for... even claiming that guy in Thuringen needs to step back, because he had received votes from AfD members... and 'democratic media' celebrated this...
That's not how to deal with elected politicians, sorry to say.
@@Vickzq
>And yet you ignore people in parliament
And whats the problem? Isn't this just normal politics? If a party does something, other parties dislike, they vote against it. The CDU and Grüne also fight against each other in terms of environmental policies. There are still only two options, yes or no. There is no "Not AfD" option. If everyone votes "No", except the AfD, who votes "Yes", its probably not because they dislike the AfD, but because they dislike the resolution.
AfD: "We differ from the NPD primarily in our bourgeois supporter environment, not so much in terms of content"
I mean, if even the AfD itself says they are Nazis, I don't see a reason to like them.
I love the detail analysis of how Rachel is giving about the historical events made the political election system which switched from Monarchy, to dictatorship, and after the fall of the Berlin wall, to a vital democratic country. I'm planning to learn more by returning to the topic of how voting, and elections are done, and how the over 500 representatives are elected in general election. This system, although it sounds complicated gives political and economic stability to the country. I do thank Rachel and my professor for the recommendation.
west-germany was a vital democratic country from 1949 on, nut just from 1990...in 1990 just the GDR(DDR) was added, the rest is the same
Hello❤
Really good video, from what's described it very similar to the way the Scottish Parliament & Welsh Assembly in the UK are elected!
I'm in Ireland so it's the system of Proportional Representation using the Single Transferable Vote in Multi Seat Constituencies, so on the ballot paper you do a ranked choice of preference from 1, 2, 3 ..... onwards.
Ah yes, what do you think about the STV system??
@@RachelStewart04 As a system it works really well (but I think Irish people in general have a little bit of pride in it), I know a complaint is that the counting and results can take potentially days ( Iworked two days myself at a count for a European Parliament election a number of years ago!).
But because you are marking the ballot in ranked choice it encourages parties/candidates to appeal to a wider pool of votes so say if they don't get a voters "No.1" they might get the "No.2" or "No.3" preference!
@@MacLiam a few days for a vote count sounds better than 5 months of coalition talks :D
@@RachelStewart04 Well.....funny thing you would mention that!
Previously yes we would get have one party get a large plurality of seats and join in with a smaller party for a coalition government. But our recent General Election early last year had an even 3-way split, between that and the pandemic, no new Government formed until June! 😬
@@MacLiam Ah! Each system definitely has its difficulties :P
Excellent presentation.Rachel has explained how and why the number of members of the Bundestag varies and how it happened that the Bundestag ended up with no less than 709 MPs after one Election. The second vote produces a much more complicated result than the 'D'Hondt' system used (and much criticised) in the UK for elections to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly. That system at least keeps the number of Members the same.
We Germans are not happy with the ever-increasing size of the Bundestag but, it was once decided by majority vote to introduce the 'overhang mandates'. The biggest proviter of these mandates is the CDU/CSU and, unfortunately, the Bundestag cannot undo this 'overhang law' without this party. All 'reasonable' MPs plead for a size of 560 seats in the Bundestag. And yes, the cost, about €10,000 per MP plus the subsidy in the same amount for its office salaried.
Thank you for making it easier to “verstehen.”
Would love to visit Germany some day, love these videos, and this lady doing the video is very good at her job.
Thank you and more please .
Another well done and very good researched Video from her.Still the best
Ah, Rachel, please say "Ausgleichsmandate" again. This sounds so sweet. I think this could be made into a song.
Wie immer, Rachel macht es sehr interessant. Danke für die info-tainment
Great explanation, thank you.
You’re welcome 🙂
Super helpful. Thank you so much
You're very welcome!
Finally a new video. To be precise, the right video at the right time!
I actually never heard of the term "Kiwi coalition", but I like it 😄
The Kiwi coalition means the Greens with the Blacks (Christian Democrats).
@@Alex-lm3gh I already figured that out, but still, I've only heard the term "Schwarz-Grün" for it :D
@@C1710 Grün-Schwarz, not Schwarz-Grün. Successfully governing since >5 years in BW.
@@Henning_Rech If "successfully" means for you that "Die Grüne" basically became a second CDU in BW, then yeah, it is successfully.
I like it because New Zealand 🇳🇿 has the same system as Germany 🇩🇪 and our nickname is "kiwi" after our national bird, which we named the fruit after 😀
Nice to see you back.
More to come!
I will always give Rachel a „LIKE“ Very well presented!!
Grimme Preis für dieses Format!
Welcome back Rachel and team..!!!
Thank you! 😁
Thanks for making this video which help me to vote to right party and right candidate, I just saw this video before going to vote to for the first time in Germany; Thanks to Rachel and DW
Sehr gut erklärt! Vielen Dank!
You really went all out with these transitions.
Thank you😜
The @/meetthegermans series is probably one of the best "German culture promoters" internationally. Every video is just fantastic.
Thank you for such a kind comment :)
@RachelStewart04 wonderful as ever, very informative. I love your content. I think the electoral system is, although imperfect (what democracy is anyways), one that captures the spirit of discussion and stability well, points you touch on. It is amazing to understand how it even came about, it being an offspring of the time when the United Nations was also formed. Politically a truly unique point in history. Sometimes I like your videos because they are funny, others, like this, I like because they are truly well thought out and thorough. I especially connect with the fact that you and I are both integrated foreigners in this country. Cheers Rachel!
Thanks very much - especially for appreciating both the jokes and the information 😁
Very interesting thank you
I enjoyed your presentation because it was simple and concise. I get it now. And there's no way you'd ever get the US to accept that system but I like it.
Well explained.
Despite it's quite complicated to a foreigner, Rachel made it kinda easy to grasp.
Don't worry, a lot of us don't understand it either.
Rachel - great as always! 👌
Thank you! 😃
your video is full of information
nice video
Awesome report
Thank you for such a clear video on the electoral method used.
Glad it's helpful!
this is a really good explanation of the voting system!
In the UK we still have "First Past the Post" for UK National Elections. Devolved governments, the other constituent countries other then England, have a mixture of that and proportional representation for their own government. The issue of "First Past the Post" is that the party gaining power may have a very low proportion of those that vote. Voting is not compulsory in the UK. The proportional voting system is likely to lead to a coalition that I think overall is probably best for the country as you have to work together to get policies through and should reduce the various parties having a go at each other. The two major parties in the England and Wales prefer "First Past the Post" as even with an overall low vote they get the ability to get their policies through that may not be supported by the majority of the UK. (There are rumours that many in the Labour Party are now more interested in PR.) The benefits of "First Past the Post" is that it is quick and often you will know within 48 hours who will rule the country for the next 4-5 years and be Prime Minister. The downside with PR is that usually it takes longer to get to that stage, though this does not appear to be too long for the devolved governments. I think that the UK would be better with PR. And as for Germany their system, though complex, works for them so I can see no reason to change. It's certainly democratic.
I like how the party/candidate system of voting promotes multiple parties.
And the biggest benefit of multiple parties is that each party can have more of an individual stance. When you don't have to apply for >50% of the population, you can focus on a position you actually want to represent.
great video
I want a video about the small (weird) Parties like DIE PARTEI or V3
Rachel is best again explaining complex German system into a simple one 😃😃😃
Amazing
That was made easy to understand. Thanks for that! Most Germans don’t fully know and understand this system, that is/was me included
The system is complex but it seems it suits Germany. But there has to be a limit to the seats in Bundestag... I don't think it's manageable to have so many representatives... Nice video from Rachel!
The main issue is the expenses. Iirc, it's hundreds of thousands (or was it even low millions?) of euros in salary, costs of bureaucracy etc. *per seat*. I'd prefer not to have us collectively pay a billion euros (or maybe 100 million, still too much) per year in taxes for extra seats.
You should watch a Video when they meet. They are rarely all present and discussed the outcome in the party before they voted. Once in a hollyday season they voted about import new laws and had to send everybody home because there weren't enough people to declare it a legal vote.
The problem is they have to proportionate by individual provinces as well, which increases the seats.
@@MellonVegan How petty in the grand scheme of things. Every year, just the military budget increases by several times the cost of parliament. Who gives a damn about 100 million give or take in such a big country.
Sadly at the moment it is that way. It is even possible that the size will increase again after the next election. Because of this problem some politicans even wanted to change the voting system but in the end they changed nothing probably because one of the reigning parties profits to much of it.
We have same system in Nepal🇳🇵but the total number of seats in parliament for first vote and proportionate vote are fixed. This system has been causing instability. Lesser parties are kingmaker in government. If they don't get their desired ministries or PMship (turn by turn) they will topple their own coalition government. Also the proportionate seats are given to the wifes and relatives of big politicians. Government is also unable to take action against corrupt leader, so as to prevent the coalition. It is harder to implement reform policies. It has also invited foreign intervention in government formation.
3:08 "Leveling Seats"
You have a better understanding of the German political system than most Germans, most impressive ! Just a very slight point of order: After reunification, it was not decided to have Berlin as capital as this had already been decided by Parliament in the 1950s. Bonn did not like it, there was some debate but it was just a matter of fact.
Ah yes, that was indeed the intention all along! Poor Bonn...
I would vote Rachel immediatly. Im Schleswig-Holstein it becomes more intresting, here the SSW can reach the Landtag under 5% as representetives of the denish minority
No no, Mrwissen2go has said in his Kleinparteien Video that in this year the SSW can be voted in all states and the 5% doesn't count too
@@twarozek1410 Yes, the SSW is exempt from the 5% rule but no, they only have a Landesliste in Schleswig-Holstein. You can not vote for them in any other state. You can also not vote for the Greens in Saarland by the way.
Check the Homepage of the Bundeswahlleiter > bundestagswahlen > Parteien und Kandidaturen > Ein Gebiet auswählen > Saarland
You wont find SSW and Grüne
best explanation by rachel.
Glad you found it useful :)
Interesting!
Great system. I think it could be improved by allowing voters to rank parties. That way the political leaders know which kind of coalition the electorate is most okay with.
Hello❤
It took me a week to understand the entire thing, and can say the process is great.
Btw I'm not sure whether the system will work in my country India
The Indian system works good too. No need for a change. There a many options for democracy. This is only one, but a good one.
@@Alex-lm3gh Where everybody votes by community and not policy? Where throwing papers are more common than passing laws?
Another great video 👍You'd get my vote!🗳😊
A tough challenge to explain what is a very complicated subject, but as always well done Rachel! One thing that could have used a bit more cover was the Bundesrat. It sounds pretty ominous and non-democratic?
it works like the Senat in the US. The states (Länder), represented by the Bundesrat have to agree with the parliament (Bundestag) or have to search for a compromise. The last word has the parliament which can overrule the vote of the Bundesrat. Does not happen very often. A system of checks and balances.
@@mucsalto8377 Thank you! There are also has similarities to the (unelected) House of Lords in the UK. In terms of "ominous and non-democratic", the Bundesrat perhaps gets some legitimacy from the fact that the state delegation tends to come from the state goverment, which has been elected at the state level.
Barry Lane Actually it's not undemocratic. While it is correct that we do not vote candidates for the Bundesrat the Bundesrat is the state representation body and as such its composition is defined by the votes in the states. Let's say there's a coalition of SPD (Social Democrats) and Grüne (Greens) in power in one of the states - the representatives of that state in the Bundesrat will be representing the SPD and Greens as well. Because of that it represents the will of the people in the different states because we voted the Landtage into power in the different state elections.
All in all the Bundesrat has less influence than the Bundestag, it's more of a control mechanism.
At one point I used to look at these things from afar in India and now I live in Berlin. Gives me real joy. Vielen Danke für das Video Rachel! Nächste mal kannst du auch vielleicht wählen! :)
Thank you Rahul!!
DW Euromaxx is my ultimate go-to channel on YT! I am a male German Ü50 with an US-background and lover of the English language which I'm still learning to speak and comprehend. What I love the most about DW? It's the positivity and appreciativeness towards the multicultural heritage of GER and its colorful and diverse people, combined with an outside view. Rachel, please do more Lives und sprich mehr deutsch, es ist fast akzentfrei und unglaublich bewundernswert toll! Deutsche Staatsbürgerschaft für Dich ehrenhalber - wenn es eine Petition dafür gäbe, würde ich sie unterzeichnen!
Haha vielen Dank, dann starte ich heute die Petition 😆
I love your show
Would it be possible to do some podcasts in German with English subtitles?
Maybe one day... :D
Hi.
Wasn't the Paul's church parliament in Frankfurt in 1848 the first taste of democracy in germany as a whole?
it´s not a democracy when the parliament has no power.
Correction: Kohl had five terms. But not every term was 4 years long. 🤷♂️
1982-1983
1983-1987
1987-1990
1990-1994
1994-1998
Labyrinthine and complex: But it aims at the same thing the USA's three branches aim at: balance. However, in the USA, they certainly have fewer party choices. Perhaps Germany's system achieves balance better! It seems to have more (and more prominent) choices. I don't know at all if balance is achieved better, though; it is only my question. I am glad that DW gives us Ms. Stewart as a choice to listen to--she's a marvelous teacher, for she is listening to her listeners even as she records (writes also?) these videos. Good teachers always listen!
Yes, coming from the UK I also appreciate it that more than 2 parties have a chance at decent representation in Germany 👍 glad you liked the video ☺️
The Rachel hype in this comment section is honestly adorable
0:05 You forgot a spesific design. ;)
As a german learner, Rachel's pronunciation of große Koalition left me with this face 😲 so good!
haha thanks! :D
@@RachelStewart04 Wait, you aren't german? I just found this channel so i don't know you so far and i was sure that you're german because the pronounciation of the german words were flawless.
Many english speaking persons make the "ch" in words like "Reichstag" to a "k". Kudos for not doing that.
Incidentally, the Federal President and the Bundesrat still have an official seat in Bonn - as do the Federal Ministries. The exhibition from minute 5:48 is in the House of History of Germany in Bonn. And yes, the electoral system is very good at when comparing it with Otters.
Ja, diese Otter haben echt schlechte Wahlsysteme
Thanks for trying to make something inherently confusing a bit clearer:-). I understand the benefits of this utterly complex system as some of the interviewees pointed out but I'm with the lady who complained about not ending with what the majority voted for, which is the main objective of the voting systems in other lands.
As most things in life, it cuts both ways but this is one of those cases where the other side is 'too sharp':-)
See it this way: Let´s say the conservative party (CDU/CSU) gets 40 percent of the vote and the Greens as well as the Social Democarats each get 30 percent of the vote. That means that the majority of the voters has voted CDU/CSU, however, on the flip site another majority (60 percent, Greens + SPD) has voted for progressive policy content. Why would it now be unfair that both minority parties form a majority? They represent the actual will of the people from a policy point of view.
@@jonaswolframm6563 I can see your point. However, even being a Green party voter myself (in this case our Brazilian Partido Verde), what I see is that coalitions work the same way here in Brazil: in practice the results seem to be the same.
The difference from our process lies in the fact that the parties either start out already as a coalition spearheaded by the party they support in the first run or get together in the run-off, the latter case often happening as a last resort by the different right and left wings to try and make their coalition win. I just think our system is much simpler and more practical:-)
@@joalexsg9741 Since we have 5 (or now 6) parties in parliament, all of which tend to get somewhere around 15-35% of the votes, that can mean that none of the pre-agreed coalitions might get the necessary majority. So instead of having coalition talk after elections it would just cause another expensive run of elections.
There are actually exceptions tp the 5%-rule, for example for a party representing the schlesians
Well, there is only the head of state (president), then there is no special hierarchy of the highest office.
And if you meant the line of succession to the presidency, the order is:
President of the Bundesrat,
President of the Bundestag,
first judge of the Verfassungsgericht,
and then the chancellor.
For a reason Germans don't want the head of state and head of government to be the same person.
Unlike France or the US.
There is no succession to the presidency. The president of the Bundesrat just takes up the duties until a new president has been elected.
And the order presented is the protocol order of precedence. It hasn’t been written down by law but it is generally accepted that way.
What I like in the German Bundestag is it really is composed of people from different sectors and ideologies. A truly issues based politics. But the election system is really confusing like USA.
The difference is that in Germany it’s complicated to represent the people better and to be more democratic while in America it’s made to be less democratic with things like gerrymandering and those the winner takes it all rules making it impossible for more than those two parties to enter parliament.
Hello❤
Seems like a decent system. However, as being seen in the US, it's not always the system, but also the voting public's tolerence for not getting "their" way. And Ms Stewart, you'll always get a "like". Well done --- again.
It's the system that *makes* people in the US think in such a bipolar way.
With a electoral system where there's separate *parties* In between and on either side of the bigger ones that are required to form a government and that share some but not all of the values of the bigger parties then they therefore end up not seen as enemies but potential allies.
As a result they hold some credibility in the political debate.
A republican can't discount a fellow right of center political party that they'd need in order to defeat the democrats even if this party doesn't agree on everything.
And similarly the democrats can't ignore a left of center one that they depend on.
These parties would form from the current factions *within* the current political parties.
Splitting them up.
So the likes of Trump and McCain would be in different political parties, and likewise Biden and Sanders would be in different parties.
In this system McClain wouldn't depend on the voters of Trump nor Trump on McCains voters for their own parties, so McCain could either turn right towards the likes of Trump or the Bush era Tea party etc for support in a coalition or right towards the likes of Biden, without having the likes of Trump as party members or electorate.
Trump and his supporters would no doubt form a large party with a lot of influence, but unless they're willing to make compromises with the likes of McCain they'd get no power.
Likewise on the left.
On the other hand, when being reasonable the factions on the sides *can* make changes away from the center.
As a result everyone, including the fringes can feel represented.
And since there's more parties that's important and relevant more voices are heard in the media, since the views even of small parties, be they on the fringes or in the middle still can be king makers, and therefore news.
Also, by voting for what's currently factions *within*the larger parties directly the tribal identity for the two bigger parties is eroded away.
People starts caring about *their* "faction" rather than the whole left or right thing.
That said, the German MMP system still has a issue with the focus on person more than policy at times.
Less do then the US, but more so then in a party list proportional system.
Hi I came across something that I can't find more about if you could help me out that would be great.
For people who are obtaining their 2nd Masters they have to pay tuition fees even if it's in a public University?? So I have already done my bachelors in a subject but now I want to take up law in Germany (staatsexams) so would it be considered with tuition fees or without tuition fees.
@MoumitaReads Sorry, Moumita, but we really can't offer study advice here - Look at this for a start: bit.ly/3xpKLFY
@@dweuromaxx ok thank you
Thank you for explaining the two-votes system so well!
I have a question. Why do you need to vote twice? Why not vote for representative of the party and party in one vote? Interms of crossing out the person`s name you want to lead the party?
Because it's complicated. Some Erststimmenkandidaten are not even in any party, and not every Zweitstimmenliste has a candidate for every constituency of its Land
@@HagenvonEitzen Sounds more like bureaucracy
@@kejiri3593 Welcome to Germany.
The system is okay but I'd prefer the ability to vote using a list kind of system (forgot the name for it), so that smaller parties have a chance to be elected. I.e. sth like first choice parties being compared and the one with the least votes being eliminated. If your first choice got eliminated, your vote goes to your second choice. Repeat until only parties reaching 5% or 3 direct mandates are left. This way people can vote for innovative smaller parties that better reflect their ideals without fear of their vote indirectly supporting the polar opposite of what they want (e.g. you would like to vote Volt but vote for the Greens bc they are still close to your ideals while your vote being thrown out would just support the CDU). A lot of people would probably vote for smaller parties with a system like this. Seems more democratic to me but still avoids the pitfalls of splintering the Bundestag too much.
Ah yes is this like the Single Transferable Vote system they have in Ireland?
Thank you for the video. When the uk first past the post system implodes (which it clearly will, or we hope) - hopefully we'll copy the German system. Ps the video cuts are a bit too fast for UA-cam.
Just out of curiosity it would be nice to know which party Rachel would vote for in an hypothetical scenario. Or maybe not Rachel, because she has been here far too long and knows probably more about german politics than most Germans. But stick with me for a moment. Just imagine you've just come over from the UK and all that Brexit and post Brexit chaos, you changed your passport to the German one (we ignore the Prussian bureaucracy for arguments sake) and now you are allowed to vote for the very first time here. Which party would seem the most attractive? I suspect that this a really difficult scenario and quite hard to answer in general, but I would appreciate Rachel's or the UK expat community's perspective.
I would be interested in a british perspective on german politics as well. (Maybe that would even be a decent idea for a video?)
@@derWeltraumaffe there is no "British perspective" on German politics. British have very different views about different topics. And vice versa.
This is the best explanation of the federal voting and political system in Germany I have ever seen - and I am German. 😁
Thanks, Fräulein M! That's very kind :)
@@dweuromaxx 😊
WE ALREADY HAVE DIGITAL TRANSACTIONS WHEN CASH IS DEPOSITED IN BANKS WE CAN DO EVERY DIGITAL TRANSACTIONS.WHY THIS CRYPTO CRAZY COLLAPSING THE ECONOMY. CRYPTO PROMOTERS WANTS TO INVEST ALL CASH IN CRYPTO.THEN NO COMPANY WILL SURVIVE.WE SHOULD INVEST SOME AMOUNT IN GOLD,OTHER STOCKS ECT......
Do you vote for a party or a person? A party may have policies say policy a policy b and policy c. However to get into power in a coalition one or more of the policies a or b or c may have to be dropped, so you don't get what you voted for yet you are in government. Is this right? In UK its even worse, the majority of votes cast in the end don't count
Germans have two votes: one for a person, and one for a party. Of course, the person is associated with a party. :)
@@dweuromaxx Not exactly correct. There are independents running in all elections. Some are supported by parties, though.
I don't get it, but like the guy said: it forces them to compromise, and that seems like the best way to govern, like they say in the US look across the aisle
Almost like Malaysia, we have two ballot one for parliament and one for district, we chose two candidate, one to represent us at the federal level parliament the other one to represent us at state level parliament. Yeah we got the main parliament for whole Malaysia and each 13 state got it own parliament.
Malaysia is South East Asia
Is there any Socialism party??
European really have complex system
As someone watching from the UK, I am questioning a lot of thing right now. We have a first past the post system which while that does bring clarity it also leaves our democratic system open to populist governments. While I believe that the democratic system, I feel that we have an unbalanced democracy. While I have never lived in Germany, I find that a coalition that has to be negotiated isn't a bad thing at times, while it does have it issues, I envy that type of adult approach to politics. While we had a coalition in 2010, that felt a forced situation rather than something that was expected.
How bad is gerrymandering over there? Redrawing constituencies to guarantee your party's victory even with a minority of total votes.
@@HappyBeezerStudios Well there is always talk of reducing the amount of MPs in Parliament.esp by the Tories. Nothing has been done but they have a huge majority.
1:26: No, after the Presedent of Germany comes the President of the Bundesrat (who acts as the President's deputy), before the President of the Bundestag. The Chancellor is number 4.
04:16 And thats one of the problems...some people just don´t understand that there will never be a 1:1 of the things a party told in the election campaign ,because there is always a partner-party and you have to dind a compromise
1-party systems have no excuse 😅
🙏
It seems to me that the process of forming coalitions in Germany is an imperfect but reasonable way of maintaining stability and democracy.
Some fellow Americans have posted how superior it is to our system. I really don't think so, as both systems have adapted to each country's unique political culture and end up with different imperfections. To use the German multiparty system we would need a parliamentary government, not a presidential one; since the outcome of the the legislative election determines who is likely to be Chancellor, and who might end up in the coalition.
Americans on the other hand, sometimes vote for a president from one party and then re-elect a congressman or senator from a different party that they've been comfortable with for some time. You cannot get "divided government" in Germany since the executive and legislative branches are not wholly separate. I very much doubt a majority of Americans would be in favor of adopting a German-style constitution, whatever some of us may say to the contrary.
Also you Germans ought to consider our history and political culture more carefully before passing judgment or making comparisons. And I could say the same for some of the other Americans who have left comments.
0:42 lol
CSU is for pretzels, based on the Wahlplakate. I'm a CSU voter, apparently.