Bundestag: Faces of the German parliament
A month ago, Germany held a general election for a new parliament. Today it convenes for the first time. DW takes a look at the new Bundestag.
A younger parliament
On average, the 736 members of the new Bundestag are significantly younger than their predecessors. The youngest of all is 23-year-old Emilia Fester of the Green Party. In total, 47 members of parliament are younger than 30.
Prototype politician
"Mr. Typical" among the new members of the Bundestag is Michael Brand of the center-right Christian Democrat Union (CDU). At 47, he is the average age of all parliamentarians. He's a trained lawyer, which is among the most popular career paths chosen by Germany's politicians. And: his first name, Michael, is the most common in the German parliament.
Elder politicians
The oldest politician in Germany's new parliament is 80-year-old Alexander Gauland of the populist far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). The longest-serving member of the body is CDU stalwart Wolfgang Schäuble, who will have the honor of opening the first session of the new parliament.
Gender diversity
The number of women in the Bundestag is up by 4%, with the biggest increase made by the socialist Left Party and the Greens. But it is painfully slow progress toward real parity. Green Party parliamentarians Tessa Ganserer (44, at left) and Nyke Slawik (27) are the first transgender women elected to Germany's Bundestag. "Our success story is going out around the world," Slawik tweeted.
A history of migration
Some 83 parliamentarians have their roots in migrant communities — that is especially true of the Left Party and the Social Democrats. The SPD's Rasha Nasr (29) is of special note. Born in Dresden after her parents left Syria to begin a new life in communist East Germany, she now represents the eastern German state of Saxony.
Afro-German representation
Armand Zorn is one of the parliamentarians representing the increasingly prominent Afro-German community. The Social Democrat (SPD) was born in Cameroon and arrived in Germany as a 12-year-old. In the September election he managed to win a direct constituency seat. "That shows that our society is diverse. And it doesn't matter where you come from, but where you are going," he said.
Majority are academics
Most parliamentarians have a university education. By contrast, very few have gone through vocational training. Gülistan Yüksel (59) of the Social Democratic Party is among those who have. The daughter of a so-called "guest worker" who arrived in Germany from Turkey in the early 1970s, she trained as a pharmacy assistant. She was first elected to the Bundestag in 2013.
Business background
Germany's small business owners are underrepresented in parliament, where they account for just 51 members. Many of them belong to the Free Democrats (FDP), which is viewed as business friendly. Kristine Lütke is one of them. The 38-year-old took over the management of a care home for the elderly from her parents.
Health experts lacking
The COVID-19 pandemic has provided a painful reminder of the importance of the health sector — but it remains seriously underrepresented in parliament, where there are just a handful of doctors and other health care professionals. Above, 34-year-old Stephan Pilsinger of the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) is a qualified doctor.