"Mucked up" electoral reform: party alliance suddenly agreed - an indication of a later coalition?

The grand coalition blocked an urgently needed reform of the electoral law, according to an allegation before the federal election.

The CSU, CDU and SPD would damage the government's reputation.

Berlin - The issue of electoral law reform turns into another bone of contention shortly before the federal elections: top politicians of the parties SPD, FDP and Greens announce their intention to introduce a new electoral law reform for the next legislative period of the Bundestag, allegedly above all against the resistance of the Union.

"The current legal situation with regard to the right to vote is only an interim solution," said SPD parliamentary group leader Carsten Schneider to

ThePioneer

.

Only a coalition without the CDU and the CSU (options at a glance) would have the strength to reform the electoral law, the Social Democrat continued.

Bundestag election: how serious is the SPD with the electoral reform?

"Grotesque"

But the statements of the Social Democrats come back as a boomerang: Opposition parties are upset and describe Schneider's statements as hypocrisy.

From the camp of the FDP and the Left, the statements of the SPD politician have reacted with harsh criticism.

The parliamentary manager of the FDP parliamentary group, Marco Buschmann, contradicts the statement that the reform failed only because of the Union: “It is grotesque that the SPD is now trying to wash its hands in innocence.

She herself screwed up the inadequate change in the electoral law, ”Buschmann told

Der Spiegel

.

In view of the expected XXL Bundestag, he says that the Union and the SPD have acted “completely irresponsibly”.

Suffrage reform: FDP and left criticize SPD - "Big mouth, nothing behind it"

Friedrich Straetmanns from the Left parliamentary group strikes a similar note: "Big mouth on the right to vote, but nothing behind it," he also explains in the

mirror

. Straetmanns explains that the SPD “screwed up” the right to vote. Is the SPD (for the election program) relying on confusion tactics and would like to shirk its responsibility with regard to an electoral reform? "In the next Bundestag I will take you at your word or even better, you will vote for our proposal to downsize the Bundestag", said the politician of the left.

With 709 elected representatives, the German Bundestag is already bigger than ever.

The regular capacity would actually be 598 MPs.

Many experts believe that the number of members of the Bundestag will continue to grow in the upcoming general election.

The Union and the SPD were only able to agree on a small reform in autumn 2020.

Opposition parties such as the FDP, the Greens and the Left have long been calling for parliament to be downsized, which has been blocked by the grand coalition for some time.

Green parliamentary group leader Britta Haßelmann explains: “The reputation and the ability to work of the German Bundestag are endangered by the completely failed electoral reform of the CDU, CSU and SPD.

The CSU, and with it the CDU and SPD, are primarily responsible for this debacle. "

Bundestag election: CSU as "blocker" of the electoral reform - CDU and SPD inactive

In contrast, Schneider believes that only a coalition without the CDU and CSU will “have the strength to reform voting rights”.

In particular, the CSU is "responsible for the majority of the overhang seats under the current electoral law that are not covered by second votes." For the SPD, it will always be decisive that the distribution of seats in the Bundestag corresponds to the second vote result and thus to the will of the voters, so the promises of Schneider.

But how much truth is there?

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SPD politician Carsten Schneider criticizes the Union for blocking the electoral reform.

© Britta Pedersen

FDP parliamentary group leader Buschmann is of the opinion that the SPD has so far been inactive instead of effectively dampening mandate growth.

It is true that the CSU bears the "main blame" within the grand coalition, but the sister party and the Social Democrats have benefited from it: The CSU has "blocked for too long, the CDU has accepted that for too long and the SPD said that it was being affected by a black- Peter-Spiel benefits within the grand coalition ”.

Bundestag election: electoral law reform as an indication of coalition?

The topic of electoral law reform is well suited to approaching the formation of a government without the Union: After all, red-red-green or a traffic light coalition for the time after the BTW 2021 are particularly realistic options. It is interesting that all parties that could form a government, with the exception of the Union, are in favor of reform. None of the parties represented in the Bundestag want to form a coalition with the AfD.

So will there be a government without the CDU and CSU? The SPD had not ruled out cooperation with the Union recently, but - like the Greens - clearly positioned itself. "I do not want to hide the fact that I would like to form a government with the Greens," said Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz in the last TV triall and, with a view to the CDU / CSU, added: "I believe that most of the voters and Voters want the Union to be in the opposition. ”But that is decided at the ballot box and by postal vote. The all-important week for the parties in Germany is running out. Because the general election is due next Sunday. An overview of the surveys.

(PF with material from AFP)