Question 123 · Federal question
What is the '5% hurdle' in Germany?
German original (as asked in the real test)
Was ist in Deutschland die "5%-Hürde"?
- A Abstimmungsregelung im Bundestag für kleine Parteien
- B Anwesenheitskontrolle im Bundestag für Abstimmungen
- C Mindestanteil an Wählerstimmen, um ins Parlament zu kommen ✓ Correct answer
- D Anwesenheitskontrolle im Bundesrat für Abstimmungen
Translation
What is the '5% hurdle' in Germany?
- A Voting regulation in the Bundestag for small parties
- B Attendance control in the Bundestag for votes
- C Minimum percentage of votes required to enter parliament ✓ Correct answer
- D Attendance control in the Bundesrat for votes
Explanation
The 5% threshold in Germany is an electoral rule requiring a party to receive at least five percent of the valid second votes nationwide (or win three direct mandates) to gain seats in the Bundestag. It aims to prevent excessive fragmentation of parliament.
Tips
- Look for keywords like "Hürde" (hurdle/threshold) and connect them to electoral law rather than parliamentary procedures.
- Recall that this rule concerns parties entering parliament, not attendance or voting procedures in Bundestag/Bundesrat.
- Eliminate options mentioning attendance controls; these are not called by percentage-based names.
- Remember: thresholds are tied to proportional representation and seat allocation, not to internal voting rules.
Practice in the app
