47 parties will take part in the federal election on September 26, 2021. The Federal Returning Officer announced this on August 12, 2021. A total of 54 parties were allowed to vote.

Below is an overview of all parties that will stand for the 2021 federal elections in Germany. The list introduces the parties that are currently represented in the Bundestag (7 parties). Additionally, find out the parties with chances to move in (one party). 

Parties in the Bundestag for the 2021 federal elections

Party	Details
	CDU Members: 399,110 | Foundation: 1950 | selectable: nationwide except in Bavaria The Christian Democratic Union of Germany, or CDU for short, and the Christian Social Union, or CSU for short, are sister parties. They form a parliamentary group in the Bundestag and currently have the most with 245 seats. Top candidate Armin Laschet Election program    CDU party profile on Bpb.de CDU website
	CSU Members: 139,000 | Foundation: 1946 | selectable: in Bavaria The Christian Democratic Union of Germany, or CDU for short, and the Christian Social Union, or CSU for short, are sister parties. They form a parliamentary group in the Bundestag and currently have the most with 245 seats. The CSU is only represented in Bavaria with a state list and can therefore only be elected there. Top candidate Armin Laschet Election program      CSU party profile on Bpb.de CSU website
	SPD Members: 404,305 | Foundation: 1863 | selectable: nationwide The abbreviation SPD stands for Social Democratic Party of Germany. It is represented in the 19th electoral term with 193 seats in the Bundestag, making it the second largest parliamentary group. Top candidate Olaf Scholz Election program SPD party profile on Bpb.de  SPD Website
	AfD Members: 31,896 | Foundation: 2013 | selectable: nationwide The alternative for Germany, or AfD for short, entered the Bundestag for the first time in 2017. With 88 members in the 19th German Bundestag, it is the third largest parliamentary group.  Top candidate Dr. Alice Weidel and top candidate Tino Chrupalla Election program AfD party profile on Bpb.de AfD website
	FDP Members: 70,000 | Foundation: 1948 | selectable: nationwide FDP stands for the Free Democratic Party, also called Free Democrats. After the 2017 federal election, the FDP is again represented in the Bundestag, where it is the second largest opposition faction with 80 politicians. Top candidate Christian Lindner Election program Analysis of the election program FDP party profile on Bpb.de FDP website
	Die Linke Members: 60,350 |  Foundation: 1990 |  selectable: nationwide The LINKE has 69 seats in the 19th German Bundestag.  The party is the fifth largest of the six parliamentary groups. Top candidate Janine Wissler and top candidate Dr.  Dietmar Bartsch Election program    Die Linke profile on Bpb.de Die Linke Website
	Die Grünen Members: 117.036 |  Foundation: 1980 |  eligible: nationwide (in Saarland only constituency candidates) The Greens is short for the party name Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen.  With 67 seats it is the sixth largest parliamentary group in the current 19th electoral term of the Bundestag. Top candidate Annalena Baerbock Election program     Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen party profile on Bpb.de Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen website

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Parties with chances to move into the Bundestag with the 2021 federal elections

Current surveys show that another party has a chance of being able to move into the German Bundestag.

Party	Details
	FREE VOTERS Federal Association Members: 5000 |  Foundation: 2009 |  selectable: nationwide Top candidate Hubert Aiwanger election program   Analysis of the election program website Federal Association FREE VOTERS

How can parties and political associations run for elections?

Established parties that are already in the Bundestag or in a state parliament (with at least five members) can automatically run for the Bundestag election. They may submit their nominations directly to the responsible state or district returning officer.

Political associations and small parties that have not been represented in the Bundestag or in a state parliament with at least five members since their last election must report to the Federal Returning Officer that they want to take part in the election. The federal electoral committee discusses and decides in a two-day public meeting which associations are to be recognized as parties for the upcoming election. The committee examines the formal requirements that the parties must meet in order to participate in the Bundestag election. The Federal Electoral Committee does not examine the content. Unauthorized associations can lodge a complaint against the decision with the Federal Constitutional Court.

In the case of recognition as a party, the association can participate in the Bundestag election with its own nominations. The so-called non-established parties and individual applicants must collect support signatures for the nominations. Due to the corona pandemic, the supporting signatures required for state lists and district election proposals have been reduced to a quarter in each case in the 2021 federal election. For a district election proposal, the signatures of at least 50 eligible voters of the respective constituency are required (previously there were 200). For the state list, the signatures of at least 0.1 percent of the eligible voters of the respective state in the last federal election, but of a maximum of 2,000 eligible voters (as in Baden-Württemberg) were previously required. In Baden-Württemberg there are now 500 signatures. 

The district election nominations and the state lists must be received by the state returning officers by a deadline (July 19 for the 2021 federal election) . The respective committees decide on their approval (July 30, 2021). Only then is it clear who is actually allowed to participate. However, complaints can still be lodged. Finally, a deadline has been set for the public announcement of the approved district and state election proposals (August 9 for the 2021 federal election)

How many parties wanted to participate in the federal election in 2021?

• A total of 87 political associations notified the Federal Returning Officer of their participation in the 2021 federal election. They had until June 21, 2021 for this. That was 24 advertisements more than in 2017.
• On July 8 and 9, 2021, the Federal Election Committee decided that 44 associations will be recognized as parties for the 2021 Federal Election. These are called non-established parties.
• 20 rejected groups then lodged a complaint with the Federal Constitutional Court. The court upheld one complaint: the German Communist Party (DKP).
• Together with the established parties, 54 parties were allowed to participate in the federal election. Ultimately, 47 parties with state lists or constituency candidates participate.

List of all 87 political associations that wanted to participate in the 2021 German elections