Seats are distributed to all parties clearing the threshold, either through getting more than 5% of second votes, having the most first votes in at least 3 constituencies, or being a national minority party. Seats are first distributed to the political parties in an overall distribution using the Sainte-Laguë method. The seats won by each party are then distributed to the party in each state, based on the votes it received in that state, also using the Sainte-Laguë method.[3]:400 For each calculation, a divisor is chosen by the Federal Returning Officer so that the total number of seats to be allocated are distributed.[3]:400 The tables below reflect the calculations officially carried out.
(C) denotes that the member was elected thanks to their result in a constituency rather than their designated place on the list. Constituency winners are elected before list members, and take their place in order of vote percentage in the constituency in question. If a party wins more constituencies than they are entitled to by list vote, the constituency winners with the lowest vote share do not win their seat and no constituency seat is allocated.[4] In 2025, this occurred in 23 constituencies.
The electoral reform of 2023 fixed the number of Bundestag seats at 630 by ending the awarding of overhang mandates. Therefore, winning a first-past-the-post first vote in one of the 299 Bundestag constituencies no longer guarantees a candidate entry into the Bundestag. If a party wins more constituency contests than their party's second vote share entitles them to, their direct mandate winners in the state with the lowest constituency vote shares would not be seated, and the constituency seat would be left vacant.
In the 2025 election, a total of 23 first vote winners, were in this predicament. In 19 of those constituencies, at least one rival who they defeated in the local contest entered Bundestag via list mandates. The other four constituencies, three of which are in Baden-Württemberg, remain without local representatives in the Bundestag. Of the 23 overhang first vote winners, three were incumbent constituency MdBs and four were incumbent list MdBs.
When a vacancy for their respective parties for their respective states occur, these overhang candidates will be given priority to fill the vacant seats ahead of their parties' list candidates.
bold indicates an incumbent MdB bold-italics indicates an incumbent MdB representing the constituency prior to the election
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Constituency
Candidate
Direct Vote Share
Defeated Rivals who are Entering Bundestag via Party List
This is an incomplete list of MdBs who lost their seat from the 20th Bundestag in the 2025 German federal election. Most incumbents sought reelection via both a contingency first vote and a placement on their party's state lists. Those listed were unsuccessful in both attempts.
Outlisted means a list MdB did not win a seat on the state list and also failed to win a direct mandate.
Overhang means the constituency MdB won the vote for a direct mandate but was not seated due to their party's insufficient vote coverage on the state list. The member would have won an overhang mandate prior to the 2023 electoral reform.
↑ Won the first vote for Mannheim but was not seated due to CDU's insufficient second vote coverage in the state.
1 2 3 Unseated at the 2021 election, returned mid-term upon resignation of another MdB
↑ Mannes regained the direct mandate for Darmstadt she previously held from 2017 to 2021, but was not seated due to CDU's insufficient second vote coverage in the state.
↑ Nicolaisen regained the direct mandate for Flensburg – Schleswig she previously held from 2017 to 2021, but was not seated due to CDU's insufficient second vote coverage in the state.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Unseated in 2013 along with all other FDP MdBs at the time when the party failed to meet the 5% threshold for the first time, but return to the Bundestag at the 2013 election
↑ Resigned in 2012 to become FDP Leader in the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia, return to the Bundestag as FDP lead candidate in the 2017 election.
↑ Resign in 1992 to be FDP leader in Schleswig-Holstein, elected to Bundestag again in 2002 election but only served for two months, and again in 2017 as FDP lead candidate in the state.
1 2 First vote winner not seated due to their party's insufficient second votes cover.
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