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Look up Listenkandidat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
In Germany, a listenkandidat (English: list candidate) is elected via an electoral list drawn up by a political party or a voters' association, usually by proportional representation. [1] Depending on the electoral system, the voter has more or less influence on the people who are elected with his or her vote. The counterpart to the list candidate is the direct candidate ( Direktmandat ). [2]
In German federal elections , only state lists are elected with the second vote, and the ranking of candidates is fixed according to the federal election law. It is decided by the respective party before the election, and according to the party law , this must be done in a democratic manner. [3]
The Bavarian state election system allows voters to choose a direct candidate with their first vote and a candidate on one of the lists with their second vote. The strength of the parties in the state parliament (Landtag) is determined by the ratio of the total number of votes. For each party, the candidates who received the most votes on their list (sum of first and second votes) are considered. [4] Voters therefore have limited influence on the order of the candidates. In Finland, the parties put together lists, but voters vote for a specific candidate in elections to the Finnish Parliament and the European Parliament. Only the number of votes is decisive for the election result, not the original order of the candidates on the ballot paper.
In local elections according to the southern German system, voters have several votes, usually as many as there are seats to be filled. By cumulative voting and panachage, they can essentially put together their own list from the offers of the various parties. [5]
In most parliamentary elections in Switzerland, cumulation and panachage are also possible. However, in most cantons, the Council of States is elected using the winner-take-all system, as are almost all executive bodies. [5]
The Bundestag is the German federal parliament alongside the legally distinct body of the Bundesrat, which together function similar to a bicameral legislature while technically being two separate unicameral legislative entities. It is the only federal representative body directly elected by the German people. The Bundestag was established by Title III of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949 as one of the legislative bodies of Germany. It is thus the historical successor to the earlier Reichstag.
Party-list proportional representation (list-PR) is a system of proportional representation based on preregistered political parties, with each party being allocated a certain number of seats roughly proportional to their share of the vote.
Overhang seats are constituency seats won in an election under the traditional mixed-member proportional (MMP) system, when a party's share of the nationwide votes would entitle it to fewer seats than the number of individual constituencies won.
Open list describes any variant of party-list proportional representation where voters have at least some influence on the order in which a party's candidates are elected. This is as opposed to closed list, in which party lists are in a predetermined, fixed order by the time of the election and gives the general voter no influence at all on the position of the candidates placed on the party list.
An indirect election or hierarchical voting, is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office, but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the oldest forms of elections and is used by many countries for heads of state, cabinets, heads of government, and/or upper houses. It is also used for some supranational legislatures.
Elections in Germany include elections to the Bundestag, the Landtags of the various states, and local elections.
The Landtag of the Principality of Liechtenstein, commonly referred to as the Landtag of Liechtenstein, is the unicameral parliament of Liechtenstein.
Panachage is a mixed single vote variant of list proportional representation. In panachage, voters support individual candidates. Voters have multiple votes, which they can split between individual candidates in different party lists. Seats are allocated to each party based on the number of votes for all of its candidates. Seats allocated to a party go to that party's most-popular candidates.
An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party or can constitute a group of independent candidates. Lists can be open, in which case electors have some influence over the ranking of the winning candidates, or closed, in which case the order of candidates is fixed at the registration of the list.
The Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia is the state parliament (Landtag) of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which convenes in the state capital of Düsseldorf, in the eastern part of the district of Hafen. The parliament is the central legislative body in the political system of North Rhine-Westphalia. In addition to the passage of laws, its most important tasks are the election of the Minister-President of the state and the administration of the government. The current government is a coalition of the CDU and the Greens, supporting the cabinet of Minister-President Hendrik Wüst since June 2022.
Free Voters is a political party in Germany. It originates as an umbrella organisation of several Free Voters Associations, associations of people which participate in an election without having the status of a registered party. These associations are usually locally-organised groups of voters in the form of a registered association (eV). In most cases, Free Voters campaign only at local government level, standing for city councils and for mayoralties. Free Voters tend to achieve their most successful electoral results in rural areas of southern Germany, appealing most to conservative voters who prefer local decisions to party politics. Free Voter groups are active in all of the states of Germany.
The German federal election system regulates the election of the members of the national parliament, called the Bundestag. According to the principles governing the elections laws, set down in Art. 38 of the German Basic Law, elections are to be universal, direct, free, equal, and secret. Furthermore, the German Basic Law stipulates that Bundestag elections are to take place every four years and that one can vote, and be elected, upon reaching the age of 18. All other stipulations for the federal elections are regulated by the Federal Electoral Act. Elections always take place on a Sunday. Mail votes are possible upon application.
The 2018 Bavarian state election took place on 14 October 2018 to elect the 180 members of the 18th Landtag of Bavaria. The outgoing government was a majority of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU), led by Minister President Markus Söder.
Tessa Ganserer is a German politician who has served as a member of the Bundestag since 26 October 2021. Previously, she was a member of the Landtag of Bavaria, representing the constituency of Middle Franconia on the Alliance '90/The Greens list. In 2018 Ganserer came out as a transgender woman, becoming the first openly transgender person in a German state or federal parliament.
A federal election will be held in Germany on 23 February 2025 to elect the 630 members of the 21st Bundestag. Originally scheduled for 28 September 2025, the elections were brought forward due to the collapse of the governing coalition during the 2024 German government crisis. It is the fourth snap election in the history of post-war Germany after those in 1972, 1983 and 2005.
The 2023 Hessian state elections was held on Sunday October 8, to elect the 21st Landtag of Hesse. The outgoing government was a coalition of the Christian Democratic Union and The Greens, led by Minister-President Boris Rhein of the CDU. The 2023 Bavarian state election was held the same day.
The 2023 Bavarian state election was held on 8 October 2023 to elect the members of the 19th Landtag of Bavaria. The outgoing government was a coalition of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) and the Free Voters of Bavaria (FW) led by Minister-President of Bavaria Markus Söder. The 2023 Hessian state election was held the same day.
In Germany, the state list or state electoral proposal, is the list of candidates of a party for the election to the Bundestag, or the elections to those state parliaments with mixed-member proportional representation and for the European Parliament elections if a party decides on a state rather than a federal list. In contrast to the vote on the candidates of the constituencies, who are elected directly (Direktmandat), voters can usually only vote on the candidates on the state list as a whole by voting for a party with their second vote. Depending on the distribution of seats in parliament, the corresponding number of list candidates in the order of the list of the respective party are considered elected.
In Germany, a direktmandat is a parliamentary seat that is won by the candidate who receives the most votes in a constituency in a legislative election. In the mixed-member proportional representation system used in Germany, a political party receives mandates on the state list for the number of seats it wins in the constituencies, so that direct mandates generally have no influence on the number of seats the parties have in parliament. In contrast, in a majority voting system such as in the United Kingdom or the United States, the number of seats the parties have depends exclusively on their success in the constituencies.
Sigrid Hupach is a German politician who served as a member of the German Bundestag for the Left Party from 2013 to 2017. Since 2024, she has been a member of the Thuringian State Parliament for the Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht, being one of the two deputy leaders of that Party's state association.