National minorities
National minorities in Germany are:
– Danes of German citizenship,
– persons of German citizenship belonging to the Sorbian people,
– Frisians of German citizenship,
– Sinti and Roma of German citizenship.
Parties representing national minorities do not have to supply supporting signatures for
Bundestag elections.
The five per cent clause does not apply for these parties.
At Bundestag elections, the Federal Electoral Committee shall establish in its meeting to be
held on the 72nd day before the election whether a party has to be recognised as such for the
imminent election and whether it may claim the status of a party representing a national
minority.
Among others, the following criteria shall apply:
· pursuing of the minorities’ aims and
interests,
· being historically embedded in the minority,
· the majority of executive committee members and
the majority of party members have to belong to the minority,
· being committed to the folklore of the
minority,
· having the organisational basis within the
minority.
Legal bases
Bundestag election: Section 6 (6) sentence 2 of the Federal Elections Act
(BWG); Section 27 (1) last sentence of the Federal Elections Act (BWG)
Regarding
European elections, the European Elections Act does not provide for any special regulations
relating to parties representing national minorities as there is no need for exceptions. In the
direct elections to the European Parliament, the peoples of the member states are minorities
themselves. Persons whose ethnic origin is from another member state may be represented in the
European Parliament by the deputies of that member state.
Last update: September 2008
See also:
©2012 The Federal Returning Officer
