Political Participation

Membership in Associations

In Dresden, there many associations founded by immigrants. These associations contribute to the integration process of immigrants. Other associations offer activities concerned with cultural heritage, recreation, education, sport, or politics. There are too many associations to be listed here.

If you work for the society or the community voluntarily in your leisure time, this work is called volunteering (“Ehrenamt”), civic engagement (“bürgerschaftliches Engagement”) or voluntary work (“freiwillige Arbeit”). Here you can find more informations.

You yourself can found an association with other people, whether Germans or immigrants. The process is not very straightforward, but the employees at the “House of Resources” are happy to help you:

Participation in City Politics

There are a lot of opportunities for participating in city politics. It does not matter whether you come from the European Union or a non-European Union state or whether you are a naturalized citizen.

Current information on urban politics can be found on the following websites at the bottom of the leaflet "Wie funktioniert Stadtpolitik?".

Questions for the Mayor and the City Council Members

If you have questions for the mayor, you can attend the “question time” for residents. It takes place twice a year during a city council meeting. You can find out how you can take part here:

The mayor’s monthly office hour presents another opportunity to speak with him. You must register beforehand.

The mayor regularly visits the local authorities and localities. You can also speak with him there. The visits are announced in the official gazette (Dresdner Amtsblatt) as well as in press releases.

You can also reach the mayor on Facebook.

A residents' meeting is held at least once a year. You can participate in this. In residents' meetings, important urban plans are presented and questions of the inhabitants are answered. You can also give your opinion. Residents' meetings will be announced in the Dresden Official Journal and with a press release.

Questions for the Local Authorities and the Localities

The city of Dresden is divided into ten local authorities and nine localities. They include Altstadt, Dresden, Plauen, Prohlis, Cossebaude, Langebrück, Schönborn and Weixdorf. You can find the full list here.

You can approach the staff at the local authorities or the administrative centers of the localities with questions or ideas for participating in your local authority or locality. You can find the contact information and opening times by following the links above.

Questions for the Local Authority Committee and Locality Councils

In every local authority and locality, there is a local authority committee or locality council. They hold public meetings regularly to discuss important subjects that concern the local authority or locality. Residents are invited to come to these meetings. They can ask questions and give their opinions. You can find out when your local authority committee or locality council has their next meeting here:

Resident Proposals

You can call for a residents’ assembly with a resident proposal. You can also request that a certain topic be discussed in a city council meeting. In order to put a topic on the agenda or call an assembly, you have to specify the matter and collect signatures from at least five percent of all city residents. Signatories must be older than 16. If the resident proposal is valid, the city council has to discuss the matter within three months. The residents’ assembly also has to take place within this time period. You will find further information here:

Work with the Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Committee

The Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Committee represents the interests of immigrants to the mayor and the city council. All city planning that affects the life of immigrants is discussed by the Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Committee. The committee submits a recommendation before the city council renders a decision. There are 20 members of the Integration and Foreign Citizen Advisory Committee; nine of the members are city councilors and eleven are immigrants. The eleven men and women are all residents of Dresden with foreign citizenship (from the European Union or outside the EU), and they are elected for terms of five years and confirmed by the city council. You can be put on the ballot if you have had your main residence in Dresden for at least three months before election day and have lived in Germany for at least a year. You must also be at least 18 years old and reside Germany legally. You can be elected to the Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Committee whether you have a residence permission, your deportation has been legally suspended, or you have German citizenship. If you want to run for the Integration and Foreign Citizen Advisory Committee, you have to observe the rules of the election procedure. Here you can find the lists of members, duties, and basic principles. The information is available in 15 languages, including German, English, Russian, French and Arabic.

Public Involvement through the Office of the City Administration

Informational events often take place before the city offices submit important plans. At these events, you can ask questions, make suggestions, and voice your opinion. These meetings regularly take place to discuss building planning. The dates of these events are announced in the Dresdner Amtsblatt and press releases.

There are public events concerning other subjects important to the city – for example about the integration concept or the strengthening of diversity and cultural openness in Dresden. These dates are also published in the Dresdner Amtsblatt and press releases.

Working with Neighborhood Management in City Districts

Neighborhood management works in the city districts of Nördliche Johannstadt, Gorbitz, Prohlis, and in the residential area Am Koitschgraben. Among other things, the employees help improve the political participation of the residents in the district. They mediate when there are problems and help you find solutions. You can find a full list of the duties of, and the contact information for, neighborhood management here.   

Send Suggestions, Requests, or Complaints to the City Council or the Parliament of Saxony

If you would like to make a complaint about a problem over which the city council or the Saxon parliament has authority, you can write a petition. A petition is a complaint, request, or suggestion.

You can find further information, on-line forms, and contacts:

Participate in surveys

The city of Dresden regularly conducts surveys. The results are available to every resident free of charge on the page below. In surveys, it is possible to express one's own opinions and wishes on certain topics such as the environment, transport and housing. Responding to surveys can help the city of Dresden to identify problems and connections.

Become a Member of a Political Party

In Germany, there are many political parties. You can join a party if you agree with the goals of that party. Parties take part in elections. They represent their voters in parliament (the Saxon regional and German national parliaments). If the party receives a lot of votes, it can put together a government by itself. Frequently, multiple parties build a government together. People with a non-German passport can become members or “guests” of a German political party; every party decides on this individually. You can inform yourself about the particular rules by seeking out the information on the internet or you can visit the local chapter office of the party. By visiting party events or speaking to other party members, you can learn about the goals of the party. You can also read about them in the internet or visit the office hours of the party.

Visit Office Hours

The political factions in the Dresden city council and the Saxon parliament, as well as the local chapter offices of the political parties, hold regular office hours for residents. The members of the city council and the representatives in the Saxon parliament also hold office hours. You can find the times and dates for these office hours in the internet if you would like to attend an office hour to discuss suggestions or problems.

Become a Member of a Citizens’ Initiative

A citizens’ initiative is a group of people, which pursues a common political, social, or ecological goal. In most cases, there is a reason why they were founded – for example, construction plans or the planned closure of an important institution. Citizens initiatives attempt to exert influence over political decisions. They can be organized as an association, but they do not have to be. If you do not agree with a planned decision, you can found a citizens’ initiative or become a member of a citizens’ initiative.

Become a Member of a Trade Union

Employees can voluntarily organize themselves in a trade union. The goal of a trade union is to represent the economic, social, political, and social goals of the members. Trade unions fight for better working conditions (for example, pay, working hours, vacation) and negotiate contracts with employers’ associations. In Germany, there are many unions. People with a non-German passport can become a member of a union. You can read about the precise rules in the internet or go to your shop steward committee in your company to learn more. Some unions have multilingual internet sites.

Organize Political Action

If you have a political goal, you can organize a public gathering (for example, a rally, an event, or a demonstration). You have to register these at the Versammlungsbehörde (the agency in charge of gatherings). You can find the legal basics, forms, and contacts here:

You can also organize political actions, alone or with other people, to implement a political goal.  You can work together with associations, initiatives, parties, or foundations. For instance, you can organize conferences, lectures, roundtables, petitions, or the distribution of leaflets in the city. It is advisable to cooperate with partners who have experience carrying out political action.

Good to Know

Umbrella Association for Saxon Migrant Organizations

The Committee for Migration and Integration works at the Saxon Ministry for Equal Treatment and Integration. It is lead by a representative of the ministry. The members are drawn from migrant organizations, the business sector, academics, politics, and administration. The committee supports the ministry in further improving its work of integrating newly immigrated people.

The Federal Immigration and Integration Council

The Federal Immigration and Integration Council is a consortium of the more than 400 integration and foreign citizens advisory councils in Germany. It represents the interests of immigrants and advises the federal government, the German Parliament, and the Federal Council. The Dresden Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Council is also a member. You can find further information here:

Committee for Migration and Integration　

The Committee for Migration and Integration works at the Saxon Ministry for Equal Treatment and Integration. It is leaded by a representative of the ministry. The members are drawn from migrant organizations, the business sector, academics, politics, and administration. The committee supports the ministry in further improving its work of integrating newly immigrated people.

Get Information about Politics and Society

Do you have questions about the state and politics? Are you looking for information to help you understand Germany better? You can get help for free, or very little money, in the regional and national centers for political education. They have informational material in multiple languages.

Get Information about Political Participation

You will find a lot of information about political participation on the following internet sites. Not every immigrant has the opportunity to participate. It depends on whether you are from within or outside the European Union or are a naturalized citizen.

Scroll down to "Faltblatt -Das Stadtleben aktiv mitgestalten-" by the following link. There you find informations in english, arabic, farsi, russian, tigrinya and vietnamese.

You have all of the opportunities specified in the first section. As a citizen of the European Union, you also have other possibilities for political participation. These are described here.

Vote (and Run) for the Office of Mayor

The mayor is the chairperson of the city council and leader of the city administration. The mayoral election takes place every seven years. You are permitted to vote if you are 18 years old on the day of the election and have had Dresden as your primary place of residence for at least three months. You can also run for this office if you are over 18 and under 65 and fulfill the personal requirements for the job in administrative terms. Please note the further information:

Vote (and Run) for City Council

The city council is the political representation chosen by the citizens of the city. The city council makes decisions concerning the matters and plans of the city administration.

The city council election takes place every five years. You are allowed to vote for city council if you are over 18 years old and have had Dresden as a primary place of residence for the past three months. The city council consists of 70 women and men. The chairperson is the mayor. As a citizen of the European Union, you are allowed to vote, and run, for city council. You can find information about the city council election, which is also designated also a municipal election, here:

Vote (and Run) for the Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Council

The Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Council represents the interests of immigrants to the mayor and the city council. All city planning that affects the life of immigrants is discussed by the Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Committee. The committee submits a recommendation before the city councils renders a decision. There are 20 members of the Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Committee; nine of the members are city councilors and eleven are immigrants. The eleven men and women, who are all residents of Dresden with foreign citizenship (from within the European Union or outside the EU), are elected for terms of five years and confirmed by the city council. You can be elected if you have had your main residence in Dresden for at least three months before election day and have lived in Germany for at least a year. You must also be at least 18 years old. If you want to run for the Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Committee, you have to observe the rules of the election procedure. Here you can find further information in 15 languages, including German, English, Russian, French and Arabic:

Vote (and Run) for the Locality Council

If you have lived in a locality in Dresden for at least three months as your primary residence, then you, as a citizen of the European Union, can vote, or run, for the locality council. You have to be over 18 years old. The election takes place every five years. You can find further information here:

Vote (and Run) for the Local Authority Council

If you have lived in a local authority in Dresden for at least three months as your primary residence, you can vote or run for the local authority council. You have to be over 18 years old. The Local Authority Council is elected every five years. You can find further information here:

Undertaking a Citizens’ Initiative

You can demand a citizens’ initiative through a referendum. For this, you have to write up a proposal and a justification. The proposal must be answerable with “yes” or “no,” just as the text of the proposal must include how its costs will be paid. If you are planning a citizens’ initiative, you must inform the city administration in advance. For a successful initiative, you have to collect signatures from at least five percent of all citizens of the city (German and EU citizens). The people who sign the initiative have to be at least 18 years old and have had their primary place of residence in Dresden for at least three months. The city council will decide whether the citizens’ initiative is admissible after the submission of the signatures to the city. If the initiative is admissible, it must trigger a referendum within three months. There are many rules concerning citizens’ initiatives. You can find further information here:

Taking Part in a Referendum

A referendum can be enacted through an admissible citizens’ initiative or a resolution by the city council with a two-thirds majority. All citizens of the city (German and people from the European Union), who are over 18 years of age and have had Dresden as their main residence for at least three months, are allowed to take part in a referendum. The referendum is set up by the city administration. The referendum is successful if a majority vote “yes,” and this majority represents at least 25 percent of the eligible voters. You can find further information here:

Further Opportunities for Political Participation

Vote (and Run) for the European Parliament

The members of the European Parliament are elected in the European elections. Every member state of the European Union has a certain number of seats in parliament. These seats are calculated based on the number of residents in the respective states. The election takes place every five years. If you are 18 years old on the election day and have been in Germany or another member state of the European Union for at least three months, then you are eligible to vote. You are only allowed to vote once, however, even if you are eligible to vote in multiple member states. If you want to run for European Parliament, you have to be 18 years of age on election day. You have to live in Germany. You can only run for the European Parliament election in one member state. Please see the further information:

You have all of the opportunities specified in the first section. As a citizen from a country outside of the EU, your most important vehicle of political representation is the Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Council.

The Dresden Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Council represents the interests of immigrants to the mayor and the city council. All city planning that affects the life of immigrants is discussed by the Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Committee. The committee submits a recommendation before the city councils renders a decision. There are 20 members of the Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Committee; nine of the members are city councilors and eleven are immigrants. The eleven men and women, who are all residents of Dresden with foreign citizenship (for example, from outside the EU), are elected for terms of five years and confirmed by the city council. You can be elected if you have had your main residence in Dresden for at least three months before election day and have lived in Germany for at least a year. You must also be at least 18 years old and reside Germany legally. You can be elected to the Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Committee whether you have a residence permission, your deportation has been legally suspended, or you have German citizenship. If you want to run for the Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Committee, you have to observe the rules of the election procedure. Here you can further information:

When you are naturalized, you acquire all of the rights of political participation, according to existing laws in Germany. In addition to the opportunities detailed in the first section, you can find further examples for political involvement here.

Vote (and Run) for the Office of Mayor

The mayor is the chairperson of the city council and leader of the city administration. The mayoral election takes place every seven years. You are permitted to vote if you are 18 years old on the day of the election and have had Dresden as your primary place of residence for at least three months. You can also run for this office if you are over 18 and under 65 and fulfill the personal requirements for the job in administrative terms. Please note the further information:

Vote (and Run) for City Council

The city council is the political representation chosen by the citizens of the city. The city council makes decisions concerning the matters and plans of the city administration.

The city council election takes place every five years. You are allowed to vote for city council if you are over 18 years old and have had Dresden as a primary place of residence for the past three months. The city council consists of 70 women and men. The chairperson is the mayor. As a citizen of the European Union, you are allowed to vote, and run, for city council. You can find information about the city council election, which is also designated also a municipal election, here:

Vote (and Run) for the Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Council

The Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Council represents the interests of immigrants to the mayor and the city council. All city planning that affects the life of immigrants is discussed by the Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Committee. The committee submits a recommendation before the city councils renders a decision. There are 20 members of the Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Committee; nine of the members are city councilors and eleven are immigrants. The eleven men and women, who are all residents of Dresden with foreign citizenship (from within the European Union or outside the EU), are elected for terms of five years and confirmed by the city council. You can be elected if you have had your main residence in Dresden for at least three months before election day and have lived in Germany for at least a year. You must also be at least 18 years old. If you want to run for the Integration and Foreign Citizens Advisory Committee, you have to observe the rules of the election procedure. Here you can further information 

in 15 languages, including German, English, Russian, French and Arabic:

Vote (and Run) for the Locality Council

If you have lived in a locality in Dresden for at least three months as your primary residence, then you, as a citizen of the European Union, can vote, or run, for the locality council. You have to be over 18 years old. The election takes place every five years. You can find further information here:

Vote (and Run) for the Local Authority Council

If you have lived in a local authority in Dresden for at least three months as your primary residence, you can vote or run for the local authority council. You have to be over 18 years old. The Local Authority Council is elected for five years. You can find further information here:

Undertaking a Citizens’ Initiative

You can demand a citizens’ initiative through a referendum. For this, you have to write up a proposal and a justification. The proposal must be answerable with “yes” or “no,” just as the text of the proposal must include how its costs will be paid. If you are planning a citizens’ initiative, you must inform the city administration in advance. For a successful initiative, you have to collect signatures from at least five percent of all citizens of the city (German and EU citizens). The people who sign the initiative have to be at least 18 years old and have had their primary place of residence in Dresden for at least three months. The city council will decide whether the citizens’ initiative is admissible after the submission of the signatures to the city. If the initiative is admissible, it must trigger a referendum within three months. There are many rules concerning citizens’ initiatives. You can find further information here:

Taking Part in a Referendum

A referendum can be enacted through an admissible citizens’ initiative or a resolution by the city council with a two-thirds majority. All citizens of the city (German and people from the European Union), who are over 18 years of age and have had Dresden as their main residence for at least three months, are allowed to take part in a referendum. The referendum is set up by the city administration. The referendum is successful if a majority vote “yes,” and this majority represents at least 25 percent of the eligible voters. You can find further information here:

Further Opportunities for Political Participation

Citizens’ Initiatives, Referendums, Plebiscites

You can directly introduce drafts of laws in the Saxon Parliament with a citizens’ initiative, referendum, or plebiscite. The draft of the law has to be supported by 40,000 eligible voters through signatures. If the citizens’ initiative is admissible, the draft of the law will be introduced in the Saxon Parliament. If the delegates vote for it within six months, the draft of the law becomes a valid law. If the citizens’ initiative is rejected, you can organize a referendum. In that case, at least 450,000 – and not less than 15 percent of – the eligible voters have to support a referendum within eight months. If the referendum is successful, it will trigger a plebiscite. The plebiscite will be prepared by the regional administration. If the majority vote for the draft of the law, the draft will be adopted and become a law. Please note the further information:

Vote (and Run) for the Saxon Parliament

The Saxon Parliament is the popular representation of the Free State of Saxony. It has 120 delegates. The Saxon parliamentary election takes place every five years. As a naturalized citizen, you are eligible to vote, and can be elected to, the parliament. It is important that you are 18 years old on election day. You have to have had your primary place of residence in Saxony for at least three months or habitually live in Saxony. Please see the further information:

Vote (and Run) for the German Parliament

The German Parliament is the popular representation of Germany. It has about 600 delegates. The German parliamentary elections take place every four years. As a naturalized citizen, you are eligible to vote for, and can be elected to, the German Parliament. It is important that you are 18 years old on election day. You have to have had your primary place of residence in Germany for at least three months or habitually live here. Special conditions apply for eligible voters who live outside of the country. Please see the further information:

Vote (and Run) for the European Parliament

The members of the European Parliament are elected in the European elections. Every member state of the European Union has a certain number of seats in parliament. These seats are calculated based on the number of residents in the respective states. The election takes place every five years. If you are 18 years old on the election day and have been in Germany or another member state of the European Union for at least three months, then you are eligible to vote. You are only allowed to vote once, however, even if you are eligible to vote in multiple member states. If you want to run for European Parliament, you have to be 18 years of age on election day. You have to live in Germany. You can only run for the European Parliament election in one member state. Please see the further information:

Good to know

Apply for Naturalization

If you would like to apply for naturalization, you will find all the important information here.