Fraktion (Bundestag)

Fraktion (English: faction or fraction) is the name given to recognized parliamentary groups in the German Bundestag. In order to form a recognized parliamentary group (Fraktion), a lesser group (Gruppe) needs at least 5% of the members of the Bundestag. As there is also a 5% election threshold, with parties over this threshold usually getting assigned more than 5% of the seats, almost all groups can nearly automatically declare themselves factions, but due to conflicts, or as a result of below-threshold access granted to regional groups, this is not always the case. Also, even a group has to have at least three members to become recognized as a Gruppe and gain more rights than the individuals have.