Press release no. 14/17 of 22. August 2017

2017 Bundestag Election: 4,828 candidates standing for election

WIESBADEN – A total of 4,828 candidates are running in the Bundestag election on 24 September 2017, among them are 1,400 women (29.0 %). This was announced today by Federal Returning Officer Dieter Sarreither at a press conference in Berlin. There were 4,451 candidates in the last election of September 2013. Their number had been higher only in the 1998 Bundestag election (5,062).

In the forthcoming Bundestag election, 885 candidates are running in a constituency only, and 2,269 candidates are merely on a Land list. 1,674 people are standing for election in both a constituency and on a Land list.

There are 3,943 candidates (2013: 3,446) on the 272 Land lists of the 34 parties (2013: 233 Land lists of 30 parties) which have been admitted to the 2017 Bundestag election with their Land lists in the Länder. 1,249 or 31.7 % of these candidates are women (2013: 1,027 or 29.8 %).

The following chart shows the number of candidates on the Land lists of each party and the percentage share or female candidates:

Constituency candidates of the CDU/CSU, SPD and FDP are standing for election in all 299 constituencies. 298 constituency nominations have been admitted of both DIE LINKE and GRÜNE. The total number of candidates for direct election nominated at constituency level amounts to 2,559 (2013: 2,705) when all parties, political associations and individual candidates are considered. Among them are 640 female candidates, or 25.0 % (2013: 607 or 22.4 %). The average number of candidates per constituency is 9.

The youngest candidate of the 2017 Bundestag election is 18 years old and stands for election in a constituency of the Land Brandenburg. The oldest candidate is 89 years, she is on a Land list in Bayern. The average age of the 4,828 candidates of the 2017 Bundestag election is 46.9 years.

Comprehensive and detailed information on the nominations admitted and on the candidates standing for election is contained in the special issue “Die Wahlbewerberinnen und Wahlbewerber für die Wahl zum 19. Deutschen Bundestag 2017” (The candidates for the election to the 19^th German Bundestag 2017”), which has now been released in the publication series of the Federal Returning Officer. Among others, the special issue contains a list of the names of all candidates and summary tables for instance on the proportion of women, the age of the candidates and the occupational sectors where they work.

The special issue is available as a pdf file for free download from the website of the Federal Returning Officer at:

www.bundeswahlleiter.de → Bundestag election → 2017 → Publications

At a price of 18.00 euros, it can also be obtained from booksellers or direct from the following address (plus forwarding costs):

IBRo Versandservice GmbH
Bereich Statistisches Bundesamt
Kastanienweg 1
18184 Roggentin, Germany
tel: +49 38204 66543
fax: +49 38204 66919
e-mail: destatis@ibro.de

Press copies are available from the Press Office of the Federal Statistical Office
tel: +49 611 75-3444
www.destatis.de/contact

The information on candidates is also available on the website of the Federal Returning Officer at: www.bundeswahlleiter.de → Bundestag election → 2017 → Political parties & Candidates

For further information:
Office of the Federal Returning Officer
tel: +49 611 75-4863
www.bundeswahlleiter.de/contact