As a rule, the people decide the composition of the Bundestag
every four years. The Basic Law stipulates that its Members be
elected in "general, direct, free, equal and secret elections".
The Federal Convention is the largest parliamentary convention
in the Federal Republic of Germany. Its sole function is to elect
the Federal President.
Every schoolchild in Germany is taught that elections to the
German Bundestag are general, direct, free, equal and secret. But
what does that mean in practice?
Half of the total of 598 Members of the Bundestag are
politicians who won the most first votes in one of Germany's 299
constituencies. The other half of the Members are elected via party
lists in the individual Länder. And there are 24 so-called overhang
mandates.
It doesn't take long to mark two crosses on a ballot paper, but
they are of immense significance. By marking these crosses, the
voter is taking the central decision in a democracy: who should
govern?
