The name contains the key number.
A party may contest an election without later participating in the allocation of Bundestag seats. This question asks for the name of a threshold for election results, not all the requirements for admitting a nomination.
The catalogue uses “voter votes” as shorthand. For the Bundestag, the relevant share is of valid second votes throughout the electoral territory. It is not measured against all residents or the size of a party’s membership.
The other three answers
The other words sound administrative or mathematical but do not name the rule.
admission limit.
“Admission limit” is not the established term sought here. Admission to the election and later consideration in seat allocation are different stages.
base value.
A “base value” is a starting value for comparison or calculation. It does not name the statutory five-percent threshold.
guideline.
A “guideline” is a general instruction or standard. The specific electoral term includes five percent and the idea of a threshold or exclusion clause.
The threshold is not an exceptionless entrance rule.
Parties representing national minorities are exempt. Under the Federal Constitutional Court’s 2024 transitional ruling, a party below five percent is also considered if its candidates win the most first votes in at least three constituencies, pending new legislation.
That exception is not a three-percent threshold. Which individual ultimately receives a mandate is also distinct from a party’s participation in proportional allocation. The exam question first asks for the name of the general threshold.
Section 4 · Federal Elections Act ↗A five-percent boundary: the five-percent threshold.
Associate a minimum share with a threshold or exclusion clause. For a full explanation, also check the denominator and exceptions.
Three words for this question
- die Hürdehurdle / threshold
- Figuratively, a condition that must be cleared.
- der Mindestanteilminimum share
- The smallest proportion that satisfies a particular rule.
- die Sperrklauselexclusion clause
- A statutory threshold limiting participation in seat allocation.