Why is there a 5 per cent threshold in the electoral law of the Federal Republic of Germany? It exists because …

Einbürgerungstest, question 127 German original

Warum gibt es die 5%-Hürde im Wahlgesetz der Bundesrepublik Deutschland? Es gibt sie, weil …

  1. die Programme von vielen kleinen Parteien viele Gemeinsamkeiten haben. the programmes of many small parties have a lot in common.
  2. die Bürgerinnen und Bürger bei vielen kleinen Parteien die Orientierung verlieren können. citizens can lose track when there are many small parties.
  3. viele kleine Parteien die Regierungsbildung erschweren. many small parties make it harder to form a government.
  4. die kleinen Parteien nicht so viel Geld haben, um die Politikerinnen und Politiker zu bezahlen. small parties do not have enough money to pay their politicians.
Show the answer

Correct answer: viele kleine Parteien die Regierungsbildung erschweren. many small parties make it harder to form a government.

Why?

When there are many small parties in parliament, it is hard to find a stable majority to form a government. In the Weimar Republic, this helped to make governments unstable. That is why the 5 per cent threshold was introduced.

Key term: 5%-Hürde = 5 per cent threshold

A mistake in this question?
What is wrong?

Up to 1,000 characters. Please leave out your name, e-mail address and any other personal details.

or send an e-mail