Bundestag Election Rerun in Berlin, February 11: What Went Wrong? 🇩🇪
The 2021 Bundestag election in Berlin isn't over yet; a rerun in over 450 constituencies is scheduled for February 11, 2023. The German Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe ruled that the initial election process wasn't adequately clarified by the Bundestag and had numerous glitches.
Chaotic Election Day 📅
Election day on September 26, 2021, was filled with chaos for many polling stations in Berlin. Voters faced long wait times, incorrect or missing ballot papers, and some polling stations had to close temporarily, while others remained open past 6 pm.
There were 1713 objections to the Bundestag election in Berlin, significantly more than in previous elections.
The Federal Constitutional Court Verdict 🏛️
In the eyes of the SPD, Green, and FDP parliamentary groups, the decision to repeat the election was lawful. However, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group argued that it was illegal due to electoral errors that weren't considered in six constituencies.
The Federal Constitutional Court largely agreed with the SPD, Green, and FDP, but criticized the inadequate clarification of electoral errors and their consequences. The CDU/CSU's demand for an extended rerun was rejected as not feasible.
Postal Vote Redistribution 📤
A discrepancy came to light during the hearing, revealing that postal votes from invalidated constituencies were redistributed. This went against electoral law.
Left Party Reaction 🟥
The Left Party welcomed the federal court's decision, expressing relief and confidence that they would remain in the Bundestag as the social opposition despite the rerun.
Repoise to Berlin's Constitutional Court Decision
The 2021 Berlin Constitutional Court decision led to the complete repeating of the House of Representatives election on February 12, 2023. A black-red coalition replaced the three-party alliance that had governed since 2016.
Enrichment Insights
The partial repetition of the 2021 Bundestag election in Berlin on February 11, 2024, was due to irregularities in the 2021 federal election in Berlin. Specifically, there were issues related to lost votes and lower voter turnout, which led to a shift in mandates between the state associations of the SPD, GRÜNE, and LINKE, and the FDP losing a leveling seat. This necessitated a partial repeat of the election in around 20% of the capital's electoral districts to ensure the integrity and fairness of the electoral process[4].
The decision to hold a partial repeat election was made by a Council of Elders resolution on March 4, 2024, following the irregularities identified in the initial election[4]. This process aimed to rectify the discrepancies and maintain the legitimacy of the Bundestag representation.
