Germany’s Highest Court Upholds Electoral Reform to Downsize Parliament
Germany’s highest court has ruled in favor of upholding an electoral reform aimed at reducing the number of members in the country’s bloated parliament. The Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe upheld the core elements of the reform, which include cutting the number of members in the Bundestag from 736 to 630, and eliminating overhang and compensatory mandates.
However, the court overturned a planned change that would have disproportionately impacted smaller parties. The abolition of the basic mandate clause was deemed “unlawful” after objections were raised by the Christian Social Union and the Left Party, who were concerned about losing their representation in parliament.
Under the new electoral system, parties receiving less than 5% of the vote will still be represented in the Bundestag if they have at least three directly elected lawmakers. This change is a step towards addressing the issue of the growing number of members in the parliament, which reached a record 736 members following the last national election in 2021.
The decision by the court is seen as a victory for the government’s efforts to reform the electoral system and reduce the size of the Bundestag. While there are disagreements among parties on certain aspects of the reform, the core elements have been upheld by the court as a step towards more balanced and representative elections in Germany.
Source
Photo credit www.euronews.com