121. A party wants to enter the German Bundestag. However, it must obtain a minimum share of the vote. This is called …

Answer options

1. five-percent threshold (Sperrklausel).
2. admission limit.
3. base value.
4. directive.

Explanation

The so‑called five‑percent threshold is the statutory exclusion clause (Sperrklausel) in the Federal Election Act, requiring a party to obtain at least five percent of the votes (typically second votes) to receive seats. It limits the equality of the vote under Article 38(1) of the Basic Law, but the Federal Constitutional Court has upheld it since 1952 as a proportionate means to safeguard parliamentary functionality and to prevent the fragmentation experienced in the Weimar Republic. By contrast, the Court struck down thresholds for European Parliament elections in 2011 and 2014 due to different institutional conditions. Historically, the clause curbs party fragmentation and stabilizes majority formation in the Bundestag.