Germany · Political landscape
What Germany’s parties want the country to become.
Start with the current balance of power, then compare what the major parties proposed in the 2025 federal election.
State of play
The federal picture at a glance
Election results and today’s parliamentary groups describe different moments. The figures below keep them separate.
CDU and CSU are combined from raw votes. “Other parties” groups the remaining result rows; the detailed table lists all 29 parties.
Current Bundestag composition: CDU/CSU 208 seats, AfD 150 seats, SPD 120 seats, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen 85 seats, Die Linke 64 seats, Non-attached 3 seats
- CDU/CSU208 seats
- AfD150 seats
- SPD120 seats
- Bündnis 90/Die Grünen85 seats
- Die Linke64 seats
- Non-attached3 seats
Parliamentary group membership can change after an election. CDU and CSU are counted together once as the Union group.
Official figures source-checked 8 September 2026. Inspect sources
Beyond left and right
High-level overview of the parties
Six editorial axes show how the parties differ across economic, social, European, climate, migration and foreign-policy choices.
Economy
How parties balance redistribution, public provision and state investment against lower taxes, private markets and deregulation.
Migration & asylum
How parties balance asylum and legal-migration protections against border controls, removals and restrictions on eligibility.
European integration
How parties balance common European institutions and capacity against national sovereignty and looser EU structures.
Climate transition
How parties balance a faster, intervention-led decarbonisation path against slower transition, technology neutrality or rollback.
Social & cultural policy
How parties balance progressive equality, identity and self-determination policies against traditional, conservative or national-cultural positions.
Ukraine / Russia policy
How parties balance negotiation, restraint and accommodation of Russia against military support for Ukraine and deterrence.
These coordinates are editorial interpretations of the supplied 2025 programme material. They are not official party classifications, scientific measurements, voting advice, or estimates of individual politicians' views. See the explanation and full comparison →
Eight party profiles
Choose a party to understand
Open a profile for manifesto priorities, political context, support and sources.
Federal governmentCDUChristian Democratic Union · centre-right · Christian-democratic / conservative / market-oriented22.6% · 2025 voteFederal governmentCSUChristian Social Union in Bavaria · centre-right / conservative · Bavaria-only sister party of CDU6.0% · 2025 Germany-wide voteFederal governmentSPDSocial Democratic Party · centre-left · social democratic16.4% · 2025 voteFederal oppositionGreensBündnis 90/Die Grünen · centre-left / progressive · green politics11.6% · 2025 voteFederal oppositionAfDAlternative für Deutschland · right-populist / nationalist; significant far-right currents20.8% · 2025 voteFederal oppositionDie LinkeThe Left · left / democratic-socialist8.8% · 2025 voteOutside BundestagFDPFree Democratic Party · liberal / market-liberal4.3% · 2025 voteOutside BundestagBSWBündnis Sahra Wagenknecht – Vernunft und Gerechtigkeit · economically left + socio-culturally conservative4.981% · 2025 vote
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