Germany: 41 parties for European elections

German voters will be able to choose from 41 parties in the upcoming EU elections on May 23, according to a report by the public broadcaster ARD on Saturday.

The lists are a notable jump compared to the last European elections in 2014, when only 25 parties from Germany were in the race.

All six parties present in the Bundestag are set to take part in this month's contest, including Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, its sister party, the Christian Social Union, and the center-left Social Democratic Party from the ruling coalition, and the Left party, the Greens and the far-right Alternative for Germany from the opposition.

At the same time, German electoral officials also included relatively unknown parties, such as

• die Violetten (The Violet Ones), whose program is based on spirituality;
• the Europäische Partei LIEBE (European Party LOVE);
• a pro-plebiscite party;
• a union in favor of a universal basic income;
• the Party for Animals.

Read more: One in 10 EU voters support far-right populist parties

The full list of the parties with links to their election platforms in German can be found in the ARD report.

German authorities refused some 18 other entries, including a party in favor of living space and another which claims to represent the interests of vegans and vegetarians.

The vote is open to 60.8 million German nationals and an additional 3.9 EU citizens living in the country.

Germany is set to contribute 96 members to the European Parliament, which will have 705 seats after UK representatives are removed due to Brexit.

 

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