>France and Germany are not so two-party. In the 53 years of France's current government, they have elected presidents from four parties.
It's really two and a half.
De Gaulle - Pompidou - Chirac -Sarkozy were part of the same party that morphed and changed names everytime there was a new leader.
Miterrand - Hollande are the other.
Giscard was a one-term president from a party that has always been a junior partner of Main Right-Center party. So he's the half.
Does Germany hold runoff elections? It looks like Merkel won in 2009 with only 34% of the vote. If they use the same system that the US does, that is probably why their elections only choose between the main two parties.
Actually, the Chancellor is elected by the bundestag and not directly by voters.
And yes, it is required that more than half of the bundestag votes for the candidate.
It's really two and a half. De Gaulle - Pompidou - Chirac -Sarkozy were part of the same party that morphed and changed names everytime there was a new leader. Miterrand - Hollande are the other. Giscard was a one-term president from a party that has always been a junior partner of Main Right-Center party. So he's the half.
And German presidents don't count. You have to look at the Chancellor. It has been CDU or SDP since 1945 except for nine days. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chancellors_of_Germany