List of political parties in Germany

This is a list of political parties in Germany.

Germany has a multi-party system. There are two large parties, three smaller parties, and a number of minor parties.

The last federal elections were held in September 2021.

Major parties[change | change source]

These parties currently have seats in the German parliament, the Bundestag, sorted by the number of seats:

Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) – social democratic, centre-left: 206
Christian Democratic Union of Germany (Christian Democratic Union) (CDU) + Christian Social Union of Bavaria (Christian Social Union) (CSU) – Christian democratic, conservative, centre-right: 152+45=197
Alliance '90/The Greens (Greens) – green, centre-left: 118
Free Democratic Party (FDP) - liberal, classical liberal, economically liberal, centre to centre-right: 92
Alternative for Germany (AfD) - German nationalist, right-wing populist, Eurosceptic, right-wing to far-right: 78
The Left / Left Party – democratic socialist, left-wing: 39

Minor parties[change | change source]

At least 1% of the vote at the last federal elections[change | change source]

Free Voters (Freie Wähler) - conservative
Grassroots Democratic Party of Germany (Basis) - Grassroots democracy, Anti-lockdown, Anti-vaccination
Human Environment Animal Protection (Tierschutzpartei) - Centre-left, Animal rights, Animal welfare, Environmentalism
The Party (Party for Labour, constitutional state, animal welfare, elite promotion and grassroots initiative) / Die PARTEI (Partei für Arbeit, Rechtsstaat, Tierschutz, Elitenförderung und basisdemokratische Initiative) - Left-wing, Political satire, Humanism, Anti-fascism, Environmentalism, Pro-Europeanism

Others[change | change source]

Anarchist Pogo Party of Germany (Anarchistische Pogo-Partei Deutschlands - APPD)
Basic Income Alliance (Bündnis Grundeinkommen - BGE)
Bavaria Party (Bayernpartei)
Communist Party of Germany (1990)
Family Party of Germany (Deutsche Familienpartei)
German Centre Party (Deutsche Zentrumspartei - ZENTRUM)
German Communist Party (Deutsche Kommunistische Partei - DKP)
Christian Centre Party (Christliche Mitte - CM)
Citizens Make Politics (Bürger machen Politik)
Civil Rights Movement Solidarity (Bürgerrechtsbewegung Solidarität - BüSo)
Die Freien The Free Ones
Die PARTEI (Partei für Arbeit, Rechtsstaat, Tierschutz, Elitenförderung und basisdemokratische Initiative - Die PARTEI), party created by editors of the satirical magazine titanic
Die Violetten - für spirituelle Politik Archived 2007-10-14 at the Wayback Machine
Ecological Democratic Party (Ökologisch-Demokratische Partei - ÖDP)
Feminist Party of Germany (Feministische Partei - DIE FRAUEN)
Human Environment Animal Welfare (Mensch Umwelt Tierschutz)
Marxist Leninist Party of Germany (Marxistisch-Leninistische Partei Deutschlands - MLPD)
National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD)
Party of Bible-abiding Christians (Partei Bibeltreuer Christen - PBC)
Party of Humanists (Partei der Humanisten)
Party of Reason (Partei der Vernunft - pdv)
Pirate Party Germany (Piratenpartei Deutschland) (PIRATEN)
Social Equality Party (Partei für Soziale Gleichheit - PSG)
South Schleswig Voter Federation (Südschleswigscher Wählerverband - SSW) - this is the party of the Danish and frisian minorities in Germany
The Republicans (Die Republikaner - REP)

Historical parties[change | change source]

Parties existing before World War II[change | change source]

Bavarian People's Party (BVP) - Bavarian Regionalist (1920-1933)
Centre Party - Christian Democrat/Conservative (1871-1947)
Communist Party of Germany (KPD) - Communist (1919-1956)
Communist Party Opposition (KPO)- Communist
Conservative People's Party (KVP)
Free Conservative Party (FKP)
General German Workers' Association (ADAV)
Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD) - Socialist (1917-1922)
German Conservative Party (DKP) - Conservative (before 1918)
German Democratic Party (DDP) - Left-Liberal (1918-1930, became the German State Party, which lasted until 1933)
German National People's Party (DNVP) - Nationalist-Conservative (1918-1933)
German People's Party (DVP) - National-Liberal (1918-1933)
German Progress Party (DFP) - Left-Liberal (before 1918)
German Racialist Freedom Party (DVFP) - anti-semitic (early Weimar period)
German Workers' Party (DAP) - precursor to the Nazi Party (1919)
National Liberal Party - Right Liberal (before 1918)
National Socialist German Workers' Party - aka the Nazi Party (NSDAP) (1919-1945)
Progressive People's Party
Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD, still in existence)
Social Democratic Workers' Party of Germany (SDAP) (since 1875 Social Democratic Party of Germany)
Socialist Workers' Party of Germany (SAP) (since 1875 Social Democratic Party of Germany)
Socialist Workers' Party of Germany (SAP) (between 1931 and 1941/45 an Social Democratic Party left of the SPD)

Defunct parties in (former) West Germany[change | change source]

German Party (DP) - Conservative
German Empire Party (DRP) - Far right (1949-64)
German Right Party (DReP) - Far right (1946-51)
Communist Party of Germany (KPD) - Communist (1919-1956) banned
Sozialistische Reichspartei - Socialist Reich Party (SRP) - National Socialis (1949-52) banned
The Grays – Gray Panther (Die grauen Panther - GRAUE)
Communist Party of Germany (Red Dawn)
Projekt Partei Project Party
Law and Order Offensive Party (Partei rechtsstaatlicher Offensive - Offensive D)

Parties in (former) East Germany[change | change source]

As a socialist state[change | change source]

Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
Liberal Democratic Party of Germany (LDPD)
Democratic Farmers' Party of Germany (DBD)
National Democratic Party of Germany (NDPD)
Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED)

During transition[change | change source]

Other websites[change | change source]

Political Parties (Germany) - List of German political parties since 1949
Election Posters from German political parties since 1918 (German) Archived 2006-08-20 at the Wayback Machine