Sputnki News: [2] Germans headed to polling stations on Sunday to participate in a first general election without outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel on the ballot since 2005, which could mean ushering in a new political age in the country.
[3] The election will decide the composition of the 20th Bundestag, Germany’s lower house, which will pick the chancellor, who, upon having been officially approved by the president, will form a new government.
[4] While the voters will not be obligated to present a vaccination certificate or a negative COVID-19 test to access polling stations, personal protection and hygiene guidelines will be an important part of this election. The voting will be held in two stages. With the first vote, the elector chooses a candidate from a single-member constituency, and with the second vote, the elector chooses a party.
A total of 299 seats will go to the candidates who win in single-member constituencies. The rest are to be distributed among the parties that have overcome a 5% threshold.
The Bundestag officially has 598 seats, although that number can fluctuate due to the parliament system. That is why the 19th Bundestag had 709 members.