Search criteria:
Page 1
Sort by: Thematic area
Location: Germany
Germany
2021
EET
Parliamentary
elections
To ensure the election contestants enjoy legal certainty, municipal regulations of the campaign should be clearly defined and easily accessible for the contestants.
Recommendation # in final report:
2
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Campaign
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Sub-legal
Status of implementation:
Not implemented
Year of assessment:
2025
Final report heading:
Campaign and Campaign Environment
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
Authorities should proactively address all forms of electoral violence and provide effective remedies. Citizens should be informed about their rights and available remedies to curb the electoral violence.
Recommendation # in final report:
3
Type of recommendation:
Priority
Thematic area:
Campaign
Secondary thematic area:
Election Dispute Resolution (EDR)
Type of change required:
Practice
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Campaign
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
To raise awareness among relevant stakeholders on available mechanisms and to address disinformation and manipulative content, capacities of Digital Services Coordinator should be enhanced.
Recommendation # in final report:
18
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Campaign
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Campaign
Germany
2017
EET
Parliamentary
elections
Consideration could be given to providing a regulation of any campaigning by third-parties to ensure transparency and accountability of the electoral process.
Recommendation # in final report:
1
Type of recommendation:
Priority
Thematic area:
Campaign Finance
Secondary thematic area:
Campaign
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Partially
Year of assessment:
2025
Final report heading:
Party and Campaign Finance
Germany
2017
EET
Parliamentary
elections
Consideration could be given to requiring the disclosure of financial reports, including campaign finance records, in a timely manner with their subsequent publication, and ensuring that these requirements apply to all electoral contestants in line with international good practice. To strengthen transparency and accountability of the campaign finance framework, consideration could be given to lowering the reporting threshold for the immediate disclosure of donations.
Recommendation # in final report:
2
Type of recommendation:
Priority
Thematic area:
Campaign Finance
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Partially
Year of assessment:
2025
Final report heading:
Party and Campaign Finance
Germany
2017
EET
Parliamentary
elections
The legal framework could be amended to establish clear oversight and monitoring powers for campaign financing assigned to an independent and effective body.
Recommendation # in final report:
3
Type of recommendation:
Priority
Thematic area:
Campaign Finance
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not implemented
Year of assessment:
2025
Final report heading:
Party and Campaign Finance
Germany
2021
EET
Parliamentary
elections
Consideration could be given to establishing a limit on donations to parties by individuals and legal entities.
Recommendation # in final report:
4
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Campaign Finance
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not implemented
Year of assessment:
2025
Final report heading:
Party and Campaign Finance
Germany
2021
EET
Parliamentary
elections
The legal framework should be amended to clearly define sponsorship and require unambiguous reporting of its origin and amounts.
Recommendation # in final report:
5
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Campaign Finance
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Fully
Year of assessment:
2025
Final report heading:
Party and Campaign Finance
Germany
2021
EET
Parliamentary
elections
Consideration should be given to introducing detailed rules regulating loans for political parties including provisions on their disclosure and reporting.
Recommendation # in final report:
6
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Campaign Finance
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not implemented
Year of assessment:
2025
Final report heading:
Party and Campaign Finance
Germany
2021
EET
Parliamentary
elections
To increase transparency and accountability in campaign finance, the involvement of third-parties in campaigning should be regulated in the law.
Recommendation # in final report:
7
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Campaign Finance
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Partially
Year of assessment:
2025
Final report heading:
Party and Campaign Finance
Germany
2021
EET
Parliamentary
elections
In line with international good practice, consideration should be given to requiring more timely disclosure of party and campaign finances, including before election day. To allow for proper oversight of campaign finances, reports should include itemized disclosure of campaign expenditures. The limit of the donations for immediate disclosure should be lowered.
Recommendation # in final report:
8
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Campaign Finance
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Partially
Year of assessment:
2025
Final report heading:
Party and Campaign Finance
Germany
2021
EET
Parliamentary
elections
Consideration could be given to amending the legal framework to establish an independent political finance monitoring and oversight body with a clear and effective mandate.
Recommendation # in final report:
9
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Campaign Finance
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not implemented
Year of assessment:
2025
Final report heading:
Party and Campaign Finance
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
In line with international standards, the legal framework should be amended to set up an independent campaign finance oversight body, with sufficient human resources, funding and investigative mechanisms.
Recommendation # in final report:
6
Type of recommendation:
Priority
Thematic area:
Campaign Finance
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Party and Campaign Finance
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
To enhance transparency and enable voters to make a fully informed choice, consideration should be given to establishing periodic, detailed, timely and transparent reporting of campaign contributions and expenditures, including timely publishing of such reports before election day.
Recommendation # in final report:
7
Type of recommendation:
Priority
Thematic area:
Campaign Finance
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Party and Campaign Finance
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
As previously recommended, in order to ensure a level playing field, a cap on donations to political parties should be considered.
Recommendation # in final report:
21
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Campaign Finance
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Party and Campaign Finance
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
To further strengthen transparency of political finance, conditions for permissibility of sponsorship should be further defined.
Recommendation # in final report:
22
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Campaign Finance
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Party and Campaign Finance
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
Consideration should be given to introducing detailed rules regulating loans for political parties, including provisions on transparency for the loan’s source and conditions.
Recommendation # in final report:
23
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Campaign Finance
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Party and Campaign Finance
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
To increase transparency and ensure voter information, the thresholds of donations for immediate publication should be further reduced.
Recommendation # in final report:
24
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Campaign Finance
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Party and Campaign Finance
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
In line with international good practice, law and practice should ensure the meaningful possibility for corrections of omissions of erroneous information in signature collection process.
Recommendation # in final report:
16
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Candidate Registration
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Party and Candidate Registration
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
To further promote pluralism in the electoral process and freedom of association, consideration should be given to removing the restriction against signing in support of more than one electoral list and more than one election candidate.
Recommendation # in final report:
17
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Candidate Registration
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Party and Candidate Registration
Germany
2017
EET
Parliamentary
elections
Consideration should be given to amending the legislation to explicitly provide for the presence of international observers, to ensure full compliance with paragraph 8 of the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document.
Recommendation # in final report:
5
Type of recommendation:
Priority
Thematic area:
Citizen and International Observation
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not implemented
Year of assessment:
2025
Final report heading:
Observers
Germany
2021
EET
Parliamentary
elections
Consideration should be given to amending the legislation to provide for the presence of observers, to fully meet the commitments made in paragraph 8 of the 1990 OSCE Copenhagen Document.
Recommendation # in final report:
10
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Citizen and International Observation
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not implemented
Year of assessment:
2025
Final report heading:
Election Observation
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
As previously recommended, consideration should be given to amending the legislation to explicitly guarantee the access of citizen and international observers to all stages of the electoral process, in line with international commitments.
Recommendation # in final report:
9
Type of recommendation:
Priority
Thematic area:
Citizen and International Observation
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Election Observation
Germany
2021
EET
Parliamentary
elections
To instill further confidence in the postal voting and to reassure voters that their vote is counted, consideration could be given to developing a system indicating the receipt of the postal ballots by the relevant authorities.
Recommendation # in final report:
1
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Election Administration
Type of change required:
Practice
Status of implementation:
Not implemented
Year of assessment:
2025
Final report heading:
Postal Voting
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
To enhance transparency, the election administration at all levels should hold public sessions, and publish the draft agendas and minutes of relevant sessions, while duly respecting applicable data privacy legislation.
Recommendation # in final report:
11
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Election Administration
Type of change required:
Practice
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Election Administration
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
The Federal Election Regulation should be amended to instruct electoral boards to check the ID and verify the presence of the voters’ name in the voter list prior to issuing them the ballot.
Recommendation # in final report:
13
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Election Administration
Secondary thematic area:
Election Day
Type of change required:
Sub-legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Election Administration
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
The existing regulatory framework and its practical implementation would benefit from further review to ensure the secrecy of vote in postal voting centres.
Recommendation # in final report:
15
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Election Administration
Secondary thematic area:
Election Day
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Election Administration
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
To further enhance transparency and safeguard the integrity of election results, preliminary and final election results should be published disaggregated by polling station.
Recommendation # in final report:
8
Type of recommendation:
Priority
Thematic area:
Election Day
Secondary thematic area:
Election Administration
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Election Day
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
Consideration could be given to provide voters with the opportunity to return their ballots within timelines that ensure their votes are received and counted.
Recommendation # in final report:
12
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Election Day
Secondary thematic area:
Election Administration
Type of change required:
Practice
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Election Administration
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
Provisions for assisted voting should be reconsidered to exclude that the same person assists multiple voters. The right to assisted voting should be extended to voting in postal voting centres.
Recommendation # in final report:
14
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Election Day
Secondary thematic area:
Participation of Persons with Disabilities
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Election Administration
Germany
2017
EET
Parliamentary
elections
To ensure effective and timely protection of electoral rights, legislation could be reviewed to establish reasonable deadlines for the resolution of post-election complaints.
Recommendation # in final report:
4
Type of recommendation:
Priority
Thematic area:
Election Dispute Resolution (EDR)
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not implemented
Year of assessment:
2025
Final report heading:
Complaints and Appeals
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
To ensure effective remedies are available during elections, it is recommended to further enhance the election dispute resolution processes. This includes introducing the possibility of judicial review with public hearing at all stages of the electoral process and establishing timely deadlines for filing and adjudicating such appeals.
Recommendation # in final report:
5
Type of recommendation:
Priority
Thematic area:
Election Dispute Resolution (EDR)
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Election Dispute Resolution
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
A comprehensive legislative reform should be undertaken to implement outstanding ODIHR recommendations and further align the legal framework with OSCE commitments, international standards, and good practice. Such a revision should be done through an open consultative procedure in advance of the next elections, providing sufficient time for an effective implementation.
Recommendation # in final report:
1
Type of recommendation:
Priority
Thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Legal Framework
Germany
2021
EET
Parliamentary
elections
To fully guarantee the freedom of expression, provisions that foresee criminal liability for defamation should be removed.
Recommendation # in final report:
3
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Media
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not implemented
Year of assessment:
2025
Final report heading:
Campaign and Campaign Environment
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
In order to effectively guarantee freedom of expression, legislation should be amended to decriminalize defamation, and review civil sanctions for defamation to ensure a proportionate and reasonable remedy.
Recommendation # in final report:
4
Type of recommendation:
Priority
Thematic area:
Media
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Media
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
Measures should be put in place to deter the abuse of strategic lawsuits against the media. Authorities should reinforce protection of journalists from threats and intimidation, including by strengthening the protection of journalists’ personal data.
Recommendation # in final report:
25
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Media
Type of change required:
Sub-legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Media
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
To effectively respond to the right of access to information and facilitate voters’ informed choice, a revision of legal provisions on timelines for publication of institutional information of public interest and the procedures to request information should be considered. Access to such information should be provided in an easy, prompt, effective and practical manner, facilitating a wide range of inquiries.
Recommendation # in final report:
26
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Media
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Media
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
In line with international standards and OSCE commitments and to ensure equal representation of women, authorities should consider putting in place effective temporary special measures, such as legislative gender quotas and gender-targeted party funding.
Recommendation # in final report:
2
Type of recommendation:
Priority
Thematic area:
Participation of Women
Secondary thematic area:
Legal Framework
Type of change required:
Legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Electoral Participation of Women
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
To support the development of targeted strategies for enhancing women’s participation, disaggregated data on gender representation in the election administration should be collected and published in a comprehensive manner.
Recommendation # in final report:
10
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Participation of Women
Secondary thematic area:
Election Administration
Type of change required:
Practice
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Election Administration
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
Political parties should consider strengthening their efforts to foster inclusivity, including by adopting binding policies to place women in leading positions on candidate lists and integrating gender considerations into their policy proposals.
Recommendation # in final report:
19
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Participation of Women
Secondary thematic area:
Candidate Registration
Type of change required:
Practice
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Electoral participation of women
Germany
2025
Early election
EAM
Parliamentary
elections
Consideration should be given to introducing or strengthening existing proactive and preventive measures against political parties and organizations that resort to the use of violence against women in the campaign, including online.
Recommendation # in final report:
20
Type of recommendation:
Other
Thematic area:
Participation of Women
Secondary thematic area:
Campaign
Type of change required:
Sub-legal
Status of implementation:
Not evaluated
Final report heading:
Electoral participation of women