Germany 1998 federal election
What was the result of the 1998 federal election in Germany?
Social Democratic Party of Germany won 298 of 669 seats with 40.9% of the vote. 82.2% of registered voters cast a ballot.
Germany- Held:
- Final result
- ParlGov, read 5 October 2026
Which party won the most seats?
Final results from ParlGov, read : Social Democratic Party of Germany won 298 of 669 seats with 40.9% of the vote; 82.2% of registered voters cast a ballot, up 3.2 points on 1994.
- Social Democratic Party of Germany 298 +46 seats 40.9% +4.5 points
- Christian Democratic Union of Germany 198 −46 seats 28.4% −5.8 points
- Christian Social Union in Bavaria 47 −3 seats 6.7% −0.6 points
- Alliance 90/The Greens 47 −2 seats 6.7% −0.6 points
- Free Democratic Party 43 −4 seats 6.2% −0.7 points
- PDS / The Left 36 +6 seats 5.1% +0.7 points
- The Republicans 0 0 seats 1.8% −0.1 points
- German People's Union 0 1.2%
- Seats won
- Change on the previous election at the right
- Share of the vote
- Share at the previous election
- Change in points at the right
Changes are against the Germany 1994 federal election, party by party.
- Social Democratic Party of Germany298
- Christian Democratic Union of Germany198
- Christian Social Union in Bavaria47
- Alliance 90/The Greens47
- Free Democratic Party43
- PDS / The Left36
Key numbers
40.9%
Share of the vote won by Social Democratic Party of Germany
Social Democratic Party of Germany won 298 of 669 seats. A majority needs 335.
+46 seats
Seats gained by Social Democratic Party of Germany
The largest gain in seats compared with 1994. CDU/CSU lost 49 seats.
82.2%
Voter turnout
Up 3.2 points on 1994.
Seats and votes by party
| Party | Seats | ± seats | % | ± points | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Democratic Party of Germany | 298 | +46 | 40.9 | +4.5 | 20,181,269 |
| Christian Democratic Union of Germany | 198 | −46 | 28.4 | −5.8 | 14,004,908 |
| Christian Social Union in Bavaria | 47 | −3 | 6.7 | −0.6 | 3,324,480 |
| Alliance 90/The Greens | 47 | −2 | 6.7 | −0.6 | 3,301,624 |
| Free Democratic Party | 43 | −4 | 6.2 | −0.7 | 3,080,955 |
| PDS / The Left | 36 | +6 | 5.1 | +0.7 | 2,515,454 |
| The Republicans | 0 | 0 | 1.8 | −0.1 | 906,383 |
| German People's Union | 0 | 1.2 | 601,192 |
± is the change against the Germany 1994 federal election, party by party.
Votes by party
- Social Democratic Party of Germany 20,181,269
- Christian Democratic Union of Germany 14,004,908
- Christian Social Union in Bavaria 3,324,480
- Alliance 90/The Greens 3,301,624
- Free Democratic Party 3,080,955
- PDS / The Left 2,515,454
- The Republicans 906,383
- German People's Union 601,192
ParlGov lists parties with at least 1 percent of the vote or 2 seats, so the rows do not add up to the valid votes.
How many people voted?
82.2% of the 60,762,751 registered voters cast a ballot (49,947,087 ballots), up 3.2 points on 1994. 49,308,512 of them were valid votes. The highest turnout since 1987 in our data.
How do the votes compare with the seats?
- Social Democratic Party of Germany40.9% of votes44.5% of seats
- CDU/CSU35.1% of votes36.6% of seats
- Alliance 90/The Greens6.7% of votes7.0% of seats
- Free Democratic Party6.2% of votes6.4% of seats
- PDS / The Left5.1% of votes5.4% of seats
The Gallagher index of disproportionality is 3.2 (0 when seats follow votes exactly); the effective number of parties is 3.3 by votes and 2.9 by seats; Social Democratic Party of Germany led CDU/CSU by 5.8 points of the vote.
Time and source Data as of