Eligibility to stand for election
Eligibility to stand for election is the right to be elected.
A person shall be
eligible to stand for election if on election day he or she
- is a German citizen as defined in Article 116 (1) of the Basic Law, and
- has reached the age of eighteen years.
A person shall be
ineligible to stand for election if he or
she
- is disqualified from voting (Section 13 of the Federal Elections Act), or
- has been deprived by judicial decision of the eligibility to stand for election or to hold a
public office.
In
European elections, a Union citizen, too, shall be
eligible to stand for election if he or she has an abode or has otherwise been permanently
resident in the Federal Republic of Germany, provided that on the day of the election he or
she
- holds the citizenship of a member state of the European Union, and
- has reached the age of eighteen years.
In
European elections, a German shall be
ineligible to stand for election if he or she
- is disqualified from voting in accordance with Section 6a (1) of the European Elections Act,
or
- has been deprived by judicial decision of the eligibility to stand for election or to hold a
public office.
In
European elections, a Union citizen, too, shall be
ineligible to stand for election if he or she
- is disqualified from voting in the Federal Republic of Germany (Section 6a (2) no. 1 of the
European Elections Act),
- is disqualified from voting in his or her home member state (Section 6a (2) no. 2 of the
European Elections Act),
- has been deprived by judicial decision in the Federal Republic of Germany of the eligibility to
stand for election or to hold a public office, or
- is not entitled to vote in his or her home member state due to a decision in an individual
civil or criminal law case.
Legal bases
Bundestag election: Section 15 of the Federal Elections Act (BWG)
European election: Sections 6a, 6b of the European Elections Act (EuWG)
Last update: December 2009
See also:
©2012 The Federal Returning Officer
