2013 German federal election

In Germany, grown-ups get to vote for the people who will make important decisions for their country. This is called an election! In 2013, everyone in Germany who was old enough got to pick who they wanted to be in charge. It was like picking the captain of a big team! They voted for people to go to a special place called the Bundestag, which is like the country's main meeting room.

There were lots of seats in the Bundestag, like seats on a super long school bus! The main teams were the CDU/CSU, led by a lady named Angela Merkel, and the SPD. Angela Merkel's team did really, really well, almost winning enough seats to be in charge all by themselves.

But another team, the FDP, didn't get enough votes, so they didn't get any seats at all. It was like they didn't make it onto the bus!

Since no single team won enough seats to be the boss alone, they had to work together. This is called a coalition. Angela Merkel's team needed to find friends.

They couldn't team up with some other parties because they didn't agree on enough things. So, they decided to team up with the SPD, the other big team, to make a 'grand coalition'. It was a bit like two friends sharing their toys to build something amazing!

This election was special because it showed how important it is for different groups to work together. Even though Angela Merkel's team did great, they still needed help. The FDP not getting any seats was also a big surprise! It means that every vote really counts, and sometimes, even the biggest teams need to find partners to get things done for their country.