Abstract
Germany is a federal parliamentary republic that is based on representative democracy. The Chancellor is the head of government and federal legislative power is vested in the Bunderstag and the Bundesrat. There is a multi-party system that has been dominated by the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and their coalitions since 1949. As Oliver Nachtwey and Tim Spier have hinted, the emergence of new parties in Germany seems difficult, given the Institutional System. In fact, parties that get less than 5% of the vote in legislative elections are not represented in the Bundestag. That is why the "Die Linke" party, with 76 seats in the Bundestag, appears to be an exception. In fact, this party, formed by the coalition between the PDS and the WASG in 2005, represents a major opposition force in Germany. However, the party follows a political tradition, close to the emerging SPD. Thus I will show that although the "Die Linke" is perceived as an opposition to the system, it doesn't call into question the institutions. I will therefore link the emergence of the SPD with the "Die Linke" party. Then I will analyze the roles of these parties in relation to the German political system.
