I used to think that only the German language was complicated till I read about the whole system of German elections.....sehr kompliziert! Sometimes, I find the entire German fabric, confusing!

Article 38.2 of the Basic Law talks about universal suffrage as, ' Any person who has attained the age of 18 shall be entitled to vote; any person who has attained the age of majority maybe elected'.

Elections determine who is in power, but not how the power shall be used. Whether you get ruled over or be served, depends on the type of candidate you have chosen, so, use your vote wisely, otherwise you will have to bear a fool or a tyrant for the next four years.

But in this topic, we aren't discussing the do's and dont's for the electorate, rather, we will try getting an insight into the whole system of German governance. If only the system was as simple as- one person, one vote; like in most countries. The voting system for Bundestag is complex yet fairest at the same time. To understand the voting pattern you need to first acquaint yourself with the coalition mathematics.

A provision is made for the voters to make two choices. Though, it hardly takes any time to mark two crosses on the ballot sheet. But those two crosses play a pivotal role in determining who should govern? As an electorate, you are part of the central decision in a democracy. Right to vote is a fundamental right, guaranteed by the Constitution. The Basic Law regarding voting specifies- ' All state authority is derived from the people'. Furthermore, Article 38 states that elections must be 'general, direct, free, equal and secret'. As in most countries, the elections to the German Bundestag are held every 4 years based on the constitutional requirement for elections to be held 46-48 months after the first assembly of Bundestag. Elections can, however, be held earlier in case of emergency for e.g. when the Chancellor loses the vote of confidence in the Bundestag, the Federal President can then dissolve the Bundestag, and call for fresh elections to elect the new Chancellor. In exceptions like this, should Bundestag be dismissed before the stipulated four years, elections are held within 100 days. The exact date of the election is announced by the President and it has to fall either on a Sunday or a public holiday.

The ballot sheets handed over to the voters to mark their choices have two columns. On the left side, they vote for the constituency candidate. And on the right side, they put a cross against the political party they support. Each candidate, who wins majority of first votes in each of the country's 299 districts, secures for himself a seat in the parliament, irrespective of his party's overall performance. The second vote determines the relative strength of the political parties in the Bundestag. Hence, it is called the conclusive vote as it concludes which parliamentary group or coalition of parties will elect their preferred candidate as Federal Chancellor.

However, there is a famous five percent clause that is strictly adhered to in Bundestag. According to it, if a particular party fails to meet to clear the five percent hurdle nationwide, then it is denied any seats in the Bundestag. Nonetheless, if the party has secured at least three constituency seats, in such a case it will be granted additional seats based on its percentage of vote. Basically, the concept of five percent threshold was introduced to prevent fragmentation, and to keep far right political parties like NDP ( National Democratic Party) from gaining any foothold in the Parliament.

The German electoral system is based on proportional representation. Nearly half of the 598 members of the Bundestag are politicians who came directly after winning the maximum first votes in one of the Germany's 299 constituencies. The remaining half of the members secure their positions via party lists in the individual Länder or federal states. These lists are drawn up by the parties which nominate candidates they deem well-versed to occupy parliamentary seats or the ones who are believed to be popular with the electorate.

It is said, if a specific party wins as many seats as it is permitted to according to its stock of the second votes, then even the top candidate on the list will not be appointed till they have won a district seat. This was a decision taken unanimously by the Constitutional Court, so as to prevent the Bundestag from swelling from its original size of 598.Now, if a party wins more constituency seats than authorized according to its share of the second votes, it keeps these additional seats known as 'overhang mandates'. In such a scenario, the other parties too get compensated by additional seats.

German Federal elections are for all members of the Bundestag, who in turn appoint the Chancellor of Germany. The entire process is carried out in a very systemic manner, to bring to power the right candidates, chosen in the fairest of manners, to govern the country....after all, governance is not an easy play!