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

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, far-right: 78
• The Left / Left Party – democratic socialist, left-wing: 39

Minor parties

At least 1% of the vote at the last federal elections

• Free Voters (Freie Wähler) - conservative
• Grassroots Democratic Party of Germany (Basis) - 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

• 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

Parties existing before World War II

• 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

• 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

As a socialist state

• 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

• Alliance 90
• Alliance for Germany
• Association of Free Democrats
• Democracy Now
• Democratic Awakening
• East German Green Party
• Free Democratic Party
• German Forum Party
• German Social Union
• Initiative for Peace and Human Rights
• New Forum

Other websites

• 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