Extreme forces, children of the elite, and the shortage of women: what you need to know about the new Bundestag.

The Bundestag with a new composition of lawmakers has begun its work

The new Bundestag, which consists of 630 lawmakers, has begun its work in Germany. According to Politico, the political situation in the country has become more complicated after the split of the center and the rise of extreme forces.

The far-right party 'Alternative for Germany' (AfD) and the 'Left' control more than a third of the seats. This allows them to obstruct any constitutional changes that require a two-thirds majority of votes.

In the next election, cooperation with one of the two parties will be necessary for constitutional reform. However, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which will lead the next government, has officially ruled out cooperation with both the AfD and the 'Left'.

'With success in the national elections, the Alternative for Germany will become the second largest party in parliament, gaining more seats than before. This will allow them advantages to attack the coalition government, which consists of representatives of center-right and center-left forces,' writes Politico.

Although the main opposition party will have a symbolic role, it will receive privileges such as the right to respond first after the chancellor's speech. It will also receive more state funds, be able to make more proposals, and have a greater influence on parliamentary committees.

According to the publication, less than a third of Bundestag deputies are women, which is a decrease compared to the previous election. The largest share of female deputies is in the 'Greens' party - over 60%, while in the Alternative for Germany, there is less than one in ten.

According to the data, many deputies have a legal education. Almost one in five lawmakers is a lawyer, which is a large number. Economists (8.3%) and political scientists (5.7%) occupy the second and third places by professional composition.

Several new deputies from the CDU are members of the families of politically influential people in their party. Among them are the grandson of former chancellor Helmut Kohl, the daughter of high-ranking CDU politician Wolfgang Bosbach, who was in parliament from 1994 to 2017, and Frederik Bufier, whose father was the prime minister of the federal state of Hesse for many years.

Although Merz has not held a position before, he is one of the oldest members of the Bundestag.

'He may not be as old as Donald Trump (born 1946) or Joe Biden (1942), but he entered the top ten oldest members of the Bundestag at the age of 69. It is worth noting that he is younger than 84-year-old Alexander Gauland from the Alternative for Germany. Luca Hoss from the 'Left', who is 23 years old, is the youngest deputy. These two extremes reflect the age demographics of their parties - most of the oldest parliamentarians represent the Alternative for Germany, while the youngest are from the 'Left'.