Partially Re-run Berlin Bundestag Elections Due to Election Mishaps
The Federal Constitutional Court in Germany has ordered a partial re-run of the 2021 Bundestag elections in Berlin due to numerous voting mishaps. The court's decision affects 455 constituencies and associated postal voting districts, a significant increase from the initial plans outlined by the Bundestag.
Despite the CDU/CSU parliamentary group's electoral review appeal, the court's decision did not fully align with the Bundestag's original decision. The Bundestag had aimed to repeat the elections in 327 constituencies and 104 postal voting districts, which would have affected just a fraction of the city's electoral districts.
The chaos on election day in 2021 was evident in many polling stations across Berlin. Long wait times, incorrect or missing ballot papers, and temporary closures or late closures resulted in a frustrating experience for voters. In total, the Bundestag received 1713 objections to the Berlin election, a significant increase from previous elections.
For the Left Party, which just entered the Bundestag in 2021 by winning direct mandates, the court's decision brings some relief. If the party were to lose their direct mandates in a re-election, the entire parliamentary group would have been expelled from the Bundestag. However, according to election researcher Thorsten Faas from the Free University of Berlin, this is unlikely.
The Federal Constitutional Court's decision, therefore, extends the scope of the re-run elections in Berlin, affecting more constituencies and postal voting districts than initially planned. While the exact reasons for the court's decision to expand the re-run are not fully explained in the provided sources, it is clear that the court saw a need to rectify the numerous mishaps that occurred during the 2021 Bundestag elections in Berlin.
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The Federal Constitutional Court of Germany's decision to re-run parts of the 2021 Bundestag elections is a result of significant voting irregularities. These mishaps, including incorrect or missing ballot papers and long wait times, frustrated voters and raised concerns about the fairness of the election. While the exact reasons for the court's decision to expand the scope of the re-run are not fully explained in the provided sources, it is clear that the court believed that rectifying these issues was necessary to ensure the integrity of the democratic process in Berlin.
It is important to note that the Federal Constitutional Court's decision was not related to the constitutionality of the Second Supplementary Budget Act 2021, as claimed in the enrichment data. The enrichment data is therefore not applicable to the article. The focus of the article is on the court's decision to re-run parts of the 2021 Bundestag elections in Berlin due to voting irregularities.
[1] N.B.: The enrichment data refers to a different decision made by the Federal Constitutional Court.
