Germany’s Electoral System at 60: Trends and Reforms for the Twenty-first Century
Karen Donfried
The German Marshall Fund of the United States
German-American Issues 11
When Germany elected a new government on 27 September 2009, it did so not with an eye to the party, economic, or political successes of the previous sixty years. Rather, the election displayed a startling realignment of the party system. This election, occurring as it did in the middle of a celebration of sixty years of the Federal Republic of Germany, can perhaps be seen as the beginning of a new period of German politics, and its impact on transatlantic relations will continue to be seen…
