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The Bundestag has 630 seats. A government needs the support of 316 to survive. No party won a majority on February 23, 2025. Build your government below.
How Germany's coalition system works
Majority threshold
316 of 630 seats needed for a working majority. Germany uses constructive vote of no confidence — a government can only be ousted if parliament simultaneously agrees on a replacement, providing significant stability.
Formation rules
Coalition negotiations (Koalitionsverhandlungen) typically last weeks to months. The process: exploratory talks → formal negotiations → coalition agreement (Koalitionsvertrag) → party member votes → Chancellor elected by Bundestag. The Federal President formally nominates the Chancellor candidate.
What makes this system distinctive
Germany uses a 5% threshold or 3 direct constituency seats for Bundestag representation. The 2025 electoral reform capped the Bundestag at exactly 630 seats, replacing the overhang system that had swelled it to 736 in 2021. The AfD firewall (Brandmauer) — all parties refusing to govern with or be enabled by the AfD — is the defining constraint of modern German coalition politics.
Quick Scenarios
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All 630 Seats — February 23, 2025
316 of 630 seats needed for a working majority. Germany uses constructive vote of no confidence — a government can only be ousted if parliament simultaneously agrees on a replacement, providing significant stability.
Germany in context: The AfD's rise as the second-largest party broke Germany's post-war firewall — forcing a CDU/CSU + SPD Grand Coalition despite deep mutual reservations.