As of: February 9, 2024, 2:37 p.m
By: Nils Hinsberger
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The 2021 federal election will be repeated in some electoral districts in Berlin on February 11th.
What does that mean for the traffic lights?
All information about redialing in Berlin.
Berlin – Eligible voters are called upon to cast their votes in a total of 455 voting districts in Berlin.
The Federal Constitutional Court decided this after a mishap-filled federal election in 2021.
This decision was triggered by incorrectly filled out ballot papers, temporarily closed polling stations or hours of waiting before voting.
Reason enough to repeat the election.
But what threatens the incumbent government?
Could the re-election bring about a change of power?
Who could be kicked out of the Bundestag again?
And who can actually cast their vote again now?
We answer these and other questions here.
Who can vote in the repeat election in Berlin?
The eligible voter groups could differ from those in 2021.
Anyone who has moved away loses their right to vote - but anyone who has recently come to Berlin or has reached the age of 18 can vote in the by-election.
However, only if he has moved to a corresponding electoral district at least 42 days before the upcoming re-election.
People who have moved from Germany and had their last place of residence in an affected electoral district can “submit an application for entry in the voters’ register” before the upcoming election, the Federal Election Authority writes on its website.
Election workers count ballot papers at a polling station.
In Berlin, hundreds of electoral districts will be allowed to vote for the Bundestag again in February.
© Sebastian Gollnow/dpa/archive image
In total, around 550,000 Berliners are expected to cast their vote again in the federal election, which corresponds to just over a fifth of those eligible to vote in 2021.
It remains to be seen whether they will exercise their right to vote.
“The voter turnout in the 455 voting districts will be dramatically lower than in 2021,” predicts political scientist Thorsten Faas to the
German Press Agency
.
If 75 percent of those eligible to vote cast their votes back then, in his estimation, only 40 percent of all eligible voters will be likely to go to the ballot box this time.
What impact could the Berlin election in 2024 have on the traffic light government?
The repeat election will probably change little to nothing about the current traffic light coalition.
However, mandate shifts could occur between the parties, reports the
Tagesschau
.
This means that some politicians lose their seats in the Bundestag and others move up.
Specifically, it concerns the mandates of Monika Grütters (CDU) from the Reinickendorf constituency and the Green MP Stefan Gelbhaar in the Pankow constituency.
Information about redialing in Berlin at a glance:
Who can vote? |
People over 18 who have moved to a relevant electoral district at least 42 days before the election. |
When will the election take place? |
Sunday, February 11, 2024 |
Who is up for election? |
The candidates from the 2021 election are running again. No further candidates are allowed to join. Only deceased people are excluded from the election. |
How many electoral districts need to have new elections? |
455 electoral districts in Berlin. |
In which constituencies will new elections be held? |
The election will be repeated in all 12 Berlin constituencies. |
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The by-election could also have an impact on other federal states.
Since the result of the 2021 federal election will be re-evaluated after the repeat, there could also be mandate shifts in other federal states, the state election management announced on the website.
“During the repeat election, not only the first but also the second votes will be recast in the affected Berlin electoral districts and the election result will be redetermined nationwide, taking into account the result of the Berlin repeat election,” it says as an explanation.
Who will stand for election in the re-election in Berlin?
In principle, the same applicants are available for selection in the repeat election as for the 2021 federal election. “Election proposals can only be changed if an applicant has died or is no longer eligible for election.
New election proposals will not be accepted,” writes the state election authority on its website.
Parties are also not allowed to nominate replacement candidates if a candidate has died.
In addition, applicants who rejected their mandate in the 2021 election will also appear on the ballot paper again.
If they are re-elected and accept the election this time, “the people following the list who are currently sitting in their place in the German Bundestag will lose their membership in the German Bundestag”.
However, the loss of a seat in the Bundestag only occurs “when the Council of Elders of the German Bundestag decides to lose the membership of the person following the list”.
Why is the election in Berlin being repeated so late?
The reason why people in Berlin are only now allowed to cast their votes in the federal elections is primarily due to the administrative effort.
As a first step, the Bundestag had to examine the election, which took a year, reports
Deutschlandfunk
.
The CDU and CSU then filed an election audit complaint before the Federal Constitutional Court.
The negotiations would then have taken another year.
However, it is not always the case that the election takes place before the next federal election.
Some repeat elections would only take place after the next election had already taken place, writes
Deutschlandfunk
.
Some have already lodged complaints against this lengthy process.
The Bundestag members Till Steffen (Greens) and Patrick Schneider (CDU) have already demanded that the Federal Constitutional Court decide directly on whether an election should be repeated.
This would allow the time-consuming process to be avoided.
(nhi)