Wahlergebnisse
Federal Convention · model

German presidential election 2027: who elects the Federal President?

The Federal President is not elected by the people but by the Federal Convention: all members of the Bundestag plus an equal number of delegates from the state parliaments, 1260 members in all. It meets at the latest 30 days before Frank-Walter Steinmeier's term ends on 18 February 2027, i.e. by 19 January 2027; the President of the Bundestag sets the date. In the first two ballots a candidate needs an absolute majority of 631 votes; in the third a plurality suffices.

Members
1,260
Absolute majority
631
Latest date
19 January 2027
Largest group
CDU/CSU 429
Composition

How the Federal Convention is composed as of today

Bundestag by the official result of 23 February 2025; state delegates distributed to the states by population (as of 31 December 2025) and within each state to the parties by the official seat distribution of the state parliament (section 4 of the Federal President Election Act, Sainte-Laguë). Delegates need not be legislators; parties also nominate public figures. State elections until January 2027 change the numbers.

Federal Convention 2027: members per party from the Bundestag and the state parliaments
PartyBundestagStatesTotalShare
CDU/CSU20822142934.0%
Alternative für Deutschland15210725920.6%
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands12013025019.8%
Bündnis 90/Die Grünen8511319815.7%
Die Linke6416806.3%
Freie Wähler018181.4%
Freie Demokratische Partei013131.0%
Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht011110.9%
Südschleswigscher Wählerverband1120.2%
Total6306301260100 %
Federal Convention 2027: seats per party
1260 members, absolute majority from 631
CDU/CSU: 429 seatsAfD: 259 seatsSPD: 250 seatsGrüne: 198 seatsLinke: 80 seatsFreie Wähler: 18 seatsFDP: 13 seatsBSW: 11 seatsSSW: 2 seatsMajority from 6311260of 1260 seats
  • CDU/CSU429
  • AfD259
  • SPD250
  • Grüne198
  • Linke80
  • Freie Wähler18
  • FDP13
  • BSW11
  • SSW2
Wahlergebnisse.io© 2026Source: Sources: Federal Returning Officer (Bundestag 2025), state returning officers (state parliament seats), Federal Statistical Office (population). Our own model under section 4 of the Federal President Election Act; the official allocation is determined by the federal government before the election. · As of: 23 February 2025

Sources: Federal Returning Officer (Bundestag 2025), state returning officers (state parliament seats), Federal Statistical Office (population). Our own model under section 4 of the Federal President Election Act; the official allocation is determined by the federal government before the election.

Majorities

Which alliances could elect the Federal President

Two- and three-party alliances with at least 631 votes. The Convention votes by secret ballot and party discipline does not apply, so narrow majorities are uncertain.

  • CDU/CSU + AfD688 of 1260
  • CDU/CSU + SPD679 of 1260
  • CDU/CSU + Grüne + Linke707 of 1260
  • AfD + SPD + Grüne707 of 1260
  • CDU/CSU + Grüne + Freie Wähler645 of 1260
  • CDU/CSU + Grüne + FDP640 of 1260
  • CDU/CSU + Grüne + BSW638 of 1260
States

Delegates per state

Number of delegates by population, split by the state parliament; each row leads to the state page.

State delegates in the Federal Convention 2027 per state and party
StateDelegatesSplit
North Rhine-Westphalia136CDU 54SPD 39Grüne 27FDP 8AfD 8
Bavaria100CSU 42Freie Wähler 18Grüne 16AfD 16SPD 8
Baden-Württemberg85Grüne 31CDU 30AfD 19SPD 5
Lower Saxony61SPD 24CDU 20Grüne 10AfD 7
Hesse47CDU 18AfD 10SPD 8Grüne 8FDP 3
Rhineland-Palatinate31CDU 12SPD 9AfD 7Grüne 3
Saxony30AfD 10CDU 10BSW 4SPD 3Grüne 2Linke 1
Berlin28Linke 8CDU 6Grüne 5AfD 5SPD 4
Schleswig-Holstein22CDU 11SPD 4Grüne 4FDP 2SSW 1
Brandenburg19SPD 7AfD 6BSW 3CDU 3
Saxony-Anhalt16AfD 7CDU 3SPD 2Grüne 2Linke 1BSW 1
Thuringia16AfD 6CDU 4BSW 3Linke 2SPD 1
Hamburg14SPD 5Grüne 3CDU 3Linke 2AfD 1
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania12SPD 5AfD 5Grüne 1Linke 1
Saarland8SPD 5CDU 3
Bremen5CDU 2SPD 1Grüne 1Linke 1

Questions about the presidential election

Who elects the Federal President of Germany?
The Federal Convention: all members of the Bundestag plus an equal number of delegates elected by the state parliaments, 1260 members. Citizens do not elect the President directly (Article 54 Basic Law).
When is the 2027 presidential election?
At the latest on 19 January 2027, 30 days before the term ends on 18 February 2027. The President of the Bundestag sets the exact day.
How many votes does a candidate need?
In the first two ballots an absolute majority of 631 of the 1260 votes; in the third ballot a plurality. CDU/CSU is the largest group with 429 members.
Who elects the Federal Chancellor?
The Bundestag, on the proposal of the Federal President, without debate and with the majority of its members (Article 63 Basic Law). The Federal President then appoints the chancellor.
Can Frank-Walter Steinmeier run again?
No. Under Article 54(2) Basic Law only one consecutive re-election is allowed; Steinmeier has held office since 2017 and was re-elected in 2022.

Terms in the glossary · Bundesrat

Election tickerNext electionSaarland201 daysLatest pollINSA, Federal29 Sep 2026AfD 29,5CDU/CSU 19SPD 14,5Biggest moveSPD, Rhineland-Palatinate▼ −8,3Leading nationallyAfDfor 165 daysLocal electionsLower Saxony local electionsSPD in 22 districtsLatest resultBerlin state election 2026Linke 25.7%, preliminary

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