1976 West German federal election

The coalition of the SPD and the FDP wanted to be re-elected, with the SPD, since 1974 led by Helmut Schmidt, the party's candidate for Chancellor. The CDU and the CSU tried to achieve an absolute majority of the votes to make CDU chairman Helmut Kohl Chancellor.

Party		Constituency			Party list			Total seatsa	+/–
		Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats
	Social Democratic Party (SPD)	16,471,321	43.7	114	16,099,019	42.6	100	214	−16
	Christian Democratic Union (CDU)	14,423,157	38.3	94	14,367,302	38.0	96	190	+13
	Christian Social Union (CSU)	4,008,514	10.6	40	4,008,514	10.6	13	53	+5
	Free Democratic Party (FDP)	2,417,683	6.4	0	2,995,085	7.9	39	39	−2
	National Democratic Party (NPD)	136,028	0.4	0	122,661	0.3	0	0	0
	German Communist Party (DKP)	170,855	0.5	0	118,581	0.3	0	0	0
	Communist Party of Germany (KPD-AO)	8,822	0.0	0	22,714	0.1	0	0	New
	Action Community of Independent Germans (AUD)	19,490	0.1	0	22,202	0.1	0	0	0
	Communist League of West Germany (KBW)	21,414	0.0	0	20,018	0.1	0	0	New
	European Workers' Party (EAP)	3,177	0.0	0	6,811	0.0	0	0	New
	Christian Bavarian People's Party (CBV)	4,876	0.0	0	6,720	0.0	0	0	New
	International Marxist Group (GIM)	2,037	0.0	0	4,759	0.0	0	0	New
	Action Community Fourth Party (AVP)	2,636	0.0	0	4,723	0.0	0	0	New
	5%-Block	985	0.0	0	2,940	0.0	0	0	New
	Independent Workers' Party (UAP)	499	0.0	0	765	0.0	0	0	0
	United Left (VL)	217	0.0	0	701	0.0	0	0	New
	Right and Freedom Party (RFP)	227	0.0	0	–	–	–	0	New
	Independents and voter groups	3,706	0.0	0	–	–	–	0	0
Valid votes		37,695,644	98.8	–	37,822,500	99.1	–	–	–
Invalid/blank votes		470,109	1.2	–	343,253	0.9	–	–	–
Total votes		38,165,753	100.0	248	38,165,753	100.0	248	496	0
Registered voters/turnout		42,058,015	90.7	–	42,058,015	90.7	–	–	–
Source: Bundeswahlleiter

^a – excludes the non-voting delegates representing West Berlin (11 CDU, 10 SPD, 1 FDP).

The coalition between the SPD and the FDP remained in government, with Helmut Schmidt as Chancellor. Between the "sister parties" of CDU and Bavarian CSU there emerged a critical conflict, as the CSU leader Franz Josef Strauß wanted to break both the united Bundestag group of the parties and the agreement not to compete against each other in any Land. Later, this attack was withdrawn, while Strauß became candidate for chancellor for the 1980 elections.

• The Federal Returning Officer
• Psephos