A general rule can have defined exceptions.
Comparing the dates of two elections may reveal a shorter interval. That does not mean the normal term is three years. The question explicitly asks for the rule by using “normally”.
Regular elections allow a fresh decision on parliament’s composition. An early election, by contrast, needs a constitutional basis. A party’s preference for a more convenient date is not enough.
The other three answers
A possible actual interval is not automatically the statutory normal term.
every three years
Three years is not the normal term. A shorter interval caused by an early election does not turn Article 39 into a three-year cycle.
every five years
Five years does not match the four-year rule here. Do not confuse Bundestag elections with other elections or terms of office.
every six years
Six years is too long for the normal Bundestag term. The question asks for one normal duration, not a sum of different periods.
An early election follows a procedure.
Under specified conditions, Article 68 permits dissolution after a failed confidence motion: the Federal President acts on the Chancellor’s proposal. Dissolution does not automatically follow every political dispute or lost vote.
After dissolution, Article 39 requires a new election within 60 days. In the normal case it occurs between 46 and 48 months after the term begins. Both details explain why “every four years” is a useful summary rather than a fixed anniversary.
Article 39 · Basic Law ↗Normally four; an early election is the exception.
Answer the question about the rule even if you remember an early election.
Three words for this question
- normalerweisenormally
- In the ordinary case, not without exception in every situation.
- vorgezogenearly / brought forward
- Earlier than in the normal timetable.
- die Vertrauensfrageconfidence motion
- A motion by the Chancellor asking the Bundestag to express parliamentary confidence.