Germany held its early elections to the federal parliament on February 23, 2025. On this occasion, 24 EPDE network members from 11 countries traveled to Berlin to study the electoral system and observe the e-day procedures.

The group participated in briefings, meetings, and networking events, as well as observed voting and counting procedures in polling stations across Berlin.

Key meetings included discussions with the head of mission, Tana de Zulueta, and the experts of the OSCE/ODIHR Election Assessment Mission, leading monitoring CSOs, journalists, media watchdogs, election experts, civic educators, political parties, and the German Federal Foreign Office. The meetings have been organized with the kind support of the Polish Institute of International Affairs in Berlin.

On election day, participants visited polling stations in Berlin and neighboring districts, closely observing the voting and counting process. The day after the election, observers analysed their observations, collected through an app provided by the partner organisation CommitGlobal.

This election marked Germany’s first national vote under the new electoral law, which aimed to reduce the number of parliamentary seats, prioritizing proportional representation over direct mandates.

Despite these impactful amendments, many other recommendations of both international and domestic election observers were not implemented:

„Most prior ODIHR recommendations remain unaddressed, including those aimed to address the regulation of observation of the electoral process by citizen and international observers, effectiveness of adjudication of election disputes, decriminalization of defamation, and the need for comprehensive campaign and campaign finance regulations.“ – ODIHR assessment report

EPDE advocated for a more thorough reform with regard to campaign finances and financial transparency in 2023 and addressed the legal status of observers in a cross-country study.