What is the difference between an exit poll, a projection and the final result?

The exit poll is based on surveys of voters immediately after they cast their ballot and is published the moment polling stations close. A projection extrapolates the votes already counted to the country as a whole and becomes more accurate as counting proceeds. The final official result is only confirmed once every vote has been counted and certified by the electoral authority.

Why doesn't a party's vote share match its share of the seats?

Votes are converted into seats under the rules of the electoral system. Electoral thresholds leave small parties without a mandate, while constituencies, rounding methods or additional seats shift the distribution further. That is why a party with less than half of the votes can end up with more than half of the seats.

Who forms the government after the election?

A government needs a majority of the seats in parliament behind it – either a single party or several together in a coalition. The election only distributes the seats; which alliance emerges from them is negotiated afterwards.

Germany Bundestag Election: Results, Seat Distribution, and Coalition Options

Election Winner

CDU/CSU

43.8 % of votes

Parties in Parliament

+1 compared to 1987

Voter Turnout

77.8 %

-6.5 percentage points compared to 1987

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Final Official Results of the Bundestag Election

The bars show each party's vote share, the chips the swing since the previous election. Bundestag Election Results on 2 December 1990

CDU/CSU

43.8

-0.5

SPD

33.5

-3.5

FDP

11.0

+1.9

Grüne

3.8

-4.5

PDS

2.4

+2.4

REP

2.1

+2.1

Bü90

1.2

+1.2

Graue

0.8

+0.8

ÖDP

0.4

+0.1

Heimat

0.3

-0.3

DSU

0.2

+0.2

LIGA

0.1

+0.1

0.1

+0.1

0.1

±0.0

BSA

< 0.1

±0.0

DDD

< 0.1

±0.0

Soli.

< 0.1

±0.0

EFP

< 0.1

±0.0

KPD

< 0.1

±0.0

SpAD

< 0.1

±0.0

VAA

< 0.1

±0.0

< 0.1

-0.1

Patr.

< 0.1

-0.1

FRAU

< 0.1

-0.2

Government could remain in office

The incumbent governing parties achieved 60.1% of the seats.

Seat Distribution After the Bundestag Election

Total seats

662

Majority

332

Parties

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Coalition Calculator: Paths to Majority in Germany's Bundestag

332

0 662

Majority 332

Parties

Select parties to test coalitions.

Scenarios: What if...?

Select all parties near the electoral threshold that should enter parliament. electoral threshold at 5%.

Who Governed Germany After the Bundestag Election

Election Day 02/12/1990 Government formation 47 days Kohl IV 18/01/1991 – 17/11/1994

Kohl IV

18 January 1991 – 17 November 1994 · 3 years 9 months

398 of 662 seats

All Elections

Every party in detail: votes, gains and losses

Behind each vote share we also show what percentage of all eligible voters backed a party – non-voters included.

Orientation	Party	Votes	Electorate	Seats
Centre-Right	CDU/CSU	43.8 % -0.5	34.1 %	319 +85
Centre-Left	SPD	33.5 % -3.5	26.1 %	239 +46
Liberal	FDP	11.0 % +1.9	8.6 %	79 +31
Environment & Climate	Grüne	3.8 % -4.5	3.0 %	0 -42
Left	PDS	2.4 % +2.4	1.9 %	17 +17
Right	Republikaner	2.1 % +2.1	1.6 %	0 ±0
Environment & Climate	Bündnis 90	1.2 % +1.2	0.9 %	8 +8
Center	Die Grauen – Graue Panther	0.8 % +0.8	0.6 %	0 ±0
Environment & Climate	ÖDP	0.4 % +0.1	0.3 %	0 ±0
Far-Right	Die Heimat	0.3 % -0.3	0.2 %	0 ±0
Unknown	Deutsche Soziale Union	0.2 % +0.2	0.2 %	0 ±0
Right	Christliche Liga	0.1 % +0.1	0.1 %	0 ±0
Unknown	Christliche Mitte	0.1 % +0.1	0.1 %	0 ±0
Right	Bayernpartei	0.1 % ±0.0	0.1 %	0 ±0
Far-Left	Bund Sozialistischer Arbeiter	< 0.1 % ±0.0	< 0.1 %	0 ±0
Unknown	Deutsche Demokraten	< 0.1 % ±0.0	< 0.1 %	0 ±0
Environment & Climate	Deutsche Solidarität	< 0.1 % ±0.0	< 0.1 %	0 ±0
Center	Europäische Föderalistische Partei	< 0.1 % ±0.0	< 0.1 %	0 ±0
Far-Left	KPD	< 0.1 % ±0.0	< 0.1 %	0 ±0
Far-Left	Spartakist-Arbeiterpartei	< 0.1 % ±0.0	< 0.1 %	0 ±0
Left	Vereinigung der Arbeitskreise	< 0.1 % ±0.0	< 0.1 %	0 ±0
Centre-Right	Die Mündigen Bürger	< 0.1 % -0.1	< 0.1 %	0 ±0
Right	Patrioten für Deutschland	< 0.1 % -0.1	< 0.1 %	0 ±0
Unknown	FRAUEN	< 0.1 % -0.2	< 0.1 %	0 ±0

Germany's Bundestag Election: The Contesting Parties

Conservative

Social

Market

Progressive

Your position in comparison

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CDU/CSU Christian Democratic SPD Social Democratic FDP Liberal Grüne Green PDS Left Republikaner Right Populist Bündnis 90 Environment & Climate Die Grauen – Graue Panther Center Show all parties

All Parties

Germany's Bundestag Election: How It Compares to Past Contests

1990 Voter Turnout 77.8%

43.8 33.5 11.0 3.8 2.4 2.1

1987 Voter Turnout 84.3%

44.3 37.0 9.1 8.3

1983 Voter Turnout 89.1%

48.8 38.2 7.0 5.6

All Elections

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