Election disputes: majority of grievances dismissed
In the recent NRW local elections, the State Election Committee has been busy handling a number of complaints regarding candidate admissions.
Two complaints were granted, one of which was successful enough to cause a formal ruling against the Free Democratic Party (FDP) candidates in Aachen. The complaint, likely based on procedural or eligibility issues, led to the State Election Committee scrutinizing the FDP candidates, ultimately ruling against them and affecting the election outcome for those candidates.
The SPD, on the other hand, had no successful complaints against them. Their internal party rules, including a gender quota of at least 40% women, were not found to be in violation. The SPD's rules stipulate that a woman and a man are always alternated, every fifth place can be occupied by a woman or a man, and the subsequent list place is always occupied by the other gender.
Other complaints came from various groups, including the Bund Zukunft Deutschland (BZD) from the district of Wesel, the Free Voters from Essen, Solidarity for Duisburg, the Cologne Greens, the AfD in Düsseldorf and Essen, and the Values Union in Gelsenkirchen. However, these complaints remained unsuccessful.
In a unique case, a candidate mistakenly admitted as a Lord Mayor candidate in Gelsenkirchen, who did not wish to run, had a complaint filed against them by the election supervisor, which was granted.
All candidates for the elections of the Lord Mayor, district councils, councils, and district assemblies were subject to complaints. Candidates must submit documents such as a certificate of eligibility confirming their full age and German citizenship by 07.07.2025.
The election supervisors in municipalities check the proposals, inform about defects in the documents, and publish the admitted lists at least four weeks before the election. The State Election Committee's decisions regarding complaints about candidate admissions are final and can only be challenged after the election.
One notable case of doubt about a candidate's loyalty to the constitution was that of Markus Beisicht, the Lord Mayor candidate from the voter group "Aufbruch Leverkusen". However, the State Election Committee decided that it was not proven that the voting secrecy had been violated in any case.
The deadline for submitting documents for the NRW local elections was 07.07.2025. The State Election Committee's decisions are final and can only be challenged after the election.
- The policy-and-legislation enacted by the SPD, including their internal party rules with a gender quota and alternating genders every fifth place, were found to be in compliance during the NRW local elections.
- The general news surrounding the NRW local elections revealed numerous complaints from various parties, such as the Bund Zukunft Deutschland, Free Voters, Solidarity for Duisburg, Cologne Greens, AfD, and the Values Union, yet none were successful in their challenges against the candidate admissions.
