Under the previous electoral system, candidates competed in 299 single-seat electoral districts under a first-past-the-post system, and in 16 multi-seat Länder constituencies with closed party lists. Those parties which either surpassed the five per cent threshold of second votes at the national level or won seats in at least three single-member constituencies were eligible to participate in the proportional allocation of parliamentary seats. Seats were allocated according to the number of seats won in the single-member constituencies and to the proportion of the seats at Länder level. The number of seats won directly by a party in the single-member constituencies of a Land was then subtracted from the total number of seats allocated to that party's list, with any remaining seats being allocated in the order of list.