Klöckner pushes for additional changes in Germany's Federal Parliament election regulations
The German Bundestag is set to undergo potential changes in its voting system, with the primary focus being the restoration of the integrity of direct mandates and the addressing of the devaluation of the first vote. This move comes after the reduction of the Bundestag's size from 735 to 630 seats by the Traffic Light Coalition (SPD, Greens, FDP), which resulted in 23 direct mandate winners not receiving their seats following the early federal election in February.
Julia Klöckner, President of the Bundestag and a CDU member, has called for a renewed electoral reform to revisit and refine these amendments. Klöckner emphasizes that the reduction undermines core democratic principles by diminishing the first vote’s significance.
The proposed changes aim to:
- Restore the value and impact of the first vote, ensuring that winning local candidates receive their rightful direct mandates.
- Ensure proportional representation that aligns both the constituency wins and party list votes, avoiding scenarios where direct winners are excluded.
- Reconsider the abolition of overhang and leveling mandates, which previously guaranteed a balance between local representation and overall proportionality in the Bundestag.
The goal is to ensure that every constituency winner gets into the Bundestag, addressing the legitimacy problem both with the population and representation.
The Union and SPD, as outlined in their coalition agreement, have agreed to change the voting system again and have set up a commission that will present proposals by the end of this year. The task of reforming the voting system is also included in the coalition agreement.
In addition, the new reform will examine how equal representation of women in parliament can be ensured. The voting age for federal elections could potentially be lowered to 16 years as part of the new reform, as stated in the coalition agreement.
There are already several proposals for the voting system reform on the table, and political leaders recognize the importance of addressing these representation issues. However, no finalized reform proposal has yet been publicly laid out.
Julia Klöckner has criticized the devaluation of the first vote in the context of the changed voting system and does not plan to present her own proposal for the voting system reform. She has urged parliamentary groups, especially the CDU/CSU, to initiate discussions and examine existing models for revision.
Three constituencies in Baden-Württemberg and one in Hesse are not represented in the Bundestag due to the changes in the voting system. This underscores the need for a reevaluation of the current system to maintain democratic legitimacy and electoral fairness.
[1] Source: Various media reports and official statements.
- The discussions surrounding policy-and-legislation in the German Bundestag involve the restoration of the integrity of direct mandates, which, as Julia Klöckner, the Bundestag's President, emphasizes, aims to restore the value and impact of the first vote after its devaluation in the altered voting system.
- In the context of politics and general-news, the new electoral reform under consideration in the Bundestag includes examining how equal representation of women in parliament can be ensured, potentially lowering the voting age for federal elections to 16 years, and reconsidering the abolition of overhang and leveling mandates to ensure proportional representation and maintain democratic legitimacy and electoral fairness.
