41 parties eligible for Bundestag elections
Elections on 23 February: committee scrutinises party applications.
Wiesbaden/Berlin (dpa/d.de) - A total of 41 parties have been declared eligible to contest the Bundestag election on 23 February. Over two days of discussions, the Federal Elections Commission decided which parties met the formal criteria to take part in the election such as a minimum number of party members. Eligible parties must submit nominations and the signatures of a certain number of supporters by 20 January. Once these conditions have been met, a party can appear on the ballot paper.
Parties which are represented in the Bundestag or the state parliament of at least one federal state are automatically eligible to contest the election. These are: SPD, CDU, CSU, Grüne, FDP, AfD, Die Linke, BSW and Freie Wähler. A special exemption allows the South Schleswig Voters' Association (SSW), which represents the Danish minority and holds one seat in the Bundestag, to contest the election. SSW must achieve a minimum number of votes in order to retain its seat.
Overall, 56 groups applied to participate in the Bundestag elections, but 15 of them, including the Party for Motorsport and the Döner Kebab Party, failed to meet the formal criteria. They can appeal the decision to the Federal Constitutional Court.