Question 149 of 300Politics in a Democracy

Why is there a 5% threshold in the electoral law of the Federal Republic of Germany? It exists because ...

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the programmes of many small parties have a lot in common.
citizens can lose their bearings with many small parties.
many small parties make it difficult to form a government.
the small parties do not have enough money to pay the politicians.

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Correct answer to question 127: many small parties make it difficult to form a government.

Explanation

The 5 % threshold exists because many small parties in parliament would make forming a stable government difficult. It is a lesson learned from the Weimar Republic, whose fragmented Reichstag was unable to produce workable majorities.

The question in German, as it appears in the test

Warum gibt es die 5 %-Hürde im Wahlgesetz der Bundesrepublik Deutschland? Es gibt sie, weil …

die Programme von vielen kleinen Parteien viele Gemeinsamkeiten haben.
die Bürger und Bürgerinnen bei vielen kleinen Parteien die Orientierung verlieren können.
viele kleine Parteien die Regierungsbildung erschweren.
die kleinen Parteien nicht so viel Geld haben, um die Politiker und Politikerinnen zu bezahlen.

Last updated: November 2026

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Why is there a 5% threshold in the electoral law of the Federal Republic of Germany? It exists because ...

Explanation

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