| Party | Votes | % | Seats before | Seats won |
| Christian German Union | 28,208,643 | 53.88 | 310 | 351 |
| Social Democratic Party | 12,731,498 | 24.32 | 142 | 134 |
| Federal Democratic Party | 10,412,633 | 19.89 | 144 | 109 |
| Centre Party | 1,000,325 | 1.91 | 9 | 11 |
| Total | 52,353,099 | 100 | 605 | 605 |
Kohl announced in June that the election date would be September 10th. He campaigned on his and his party's record of tax cuts and strong anti communist stance, compared to Honecker's communist past.
The SPD campaigned on a more moderate platform than in 1980, allowing US bases, but they still demmanded unilateral nuclear disarmarment and renationalisation of some industries.
The SDP were able to regain their position as the largest opposition party, largely due to the FDP campaigning on similar issues to the CDU. The CDU consequently won a huge victory.