Part 2/9:
At the heart of the election process lies the proportional representation of political parties within the Bundestag. The objective is to ensure that the distribution of seats mirrors the political weight of the parties as expressed by voters during the election. To achieve this, the German electoral system incorporates a mixed-member proportional representation system that combines aspects of direct representation and proportionality.
The Voting Process
Each voter is granted two votes on a ballot paper. While there are two distinct components—the first vote and the second vote—the second vote carries more weight in terms of allocating seats in the Bundestag.