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(1) A party must have written statutes and a written programme. Local organizations conduct their activities pursuant to their own statutes provided that the statutes of their immediately superior local organization do not contain any provisions bearing on this matter.
(2) The statutes must contain provisions on the following:
1. name and acronym (if used), the registered office and scope of activities of the party;
2. admission and resignation of members;
3. rights and obligations of the members;
4. admissible disciplinary measures against members and their exclusion from the party (Article 10, Paras. 3 to 5);
5. admissible disciplinary measures against local organizations;
6. general organization of the party;
7. composition and powers of the executive body and other organs;
8. matters which may only be decided upon by a meeting of members and representatives pursuant to Art. 9;
9. conditions, form and time limit for convening meetings of members and representatives and the official recording of resolutions;
10. local organizations and organs authorized to submit or sign election proposals for members of parliament, provided there are no relevant legal provisions;
11. preliminary vote by members and the procedure to be adopted when the party convention has passed a resolution on the dissolunions of the party or a local organization or on the merger with or fusion into another party pursuant to Article 9, Para. 3. The result of the preliminary vote shall determine whether the resolution is confirmed, amended or rescinded.
(3) The executive body shall inform the Chair of the Permanent Electoral Commission for Parliamentary Elections [Bundeswahlleiter] about the following:
1. party's statutes and programme;
2. names and titles of the members of the party's executive body and local organizations;
3. dissolution of the party or a local organization.
Any changes in the circumstances under sentence 1 (1) and (2) above shall be notified by 31 December of the respective calendar year. The relevant documents held by the Chair of the Permanent Electoral Commission for Parliamentary Elections shall be made available to the public for perusal and inspection. Upon request, copies of such documents shall be provided free of charge.
(4) Parties whose organization is restricted to the territory of a federal province (provincial parties) are governed by the provisions set out in the present Act for parties as a whole.