- Baldauf calls for new electoral law
The chairman of the Rhineland-Palatinate CDU, Christian Baldauf, has urged the federal government to create a regulation in the electoral system that ensures "all elected candidates can actually take their seats in the Bundestag in the future".
"Directly elected members of parliament not being represented in the Bundestag in case of doubt is, in my view, a serious mistake in the traffic light coalition's electoral law," Baldauf told the German Press Agency in Mainz after the ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court.
"This borders on electoral fraud," Baldauf said. "It devalues the constituencies and the important work of the members of parliament for their regions." The CDU would have likely received one less seat in the Bundestag under the new electoral law. However, Baldauf also acknowledged that the planned reduction of the Bundestag was correct.
The Bundestag should be significantly reduced in size through reform
Following the ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court, the abolition of the so-called basic mandate clause in the new electoral law introduced by the traffic light coalition is unconstitutional. This clause allowed parties to enter the Bundestag in the strength of their second vote results even if they fell below the five percent hurdle, but won at least three direct mandates. The court has now temporarily reinstated this, until the legislature passes a new regulation.
With the reform, the size of the Bundestag is to be significantly reduced - by more than 100 compared to the current number, to a maximum of 630 members of parliament. To achieve this, the coalition has abolished overhang and equalization mandates, which the judges in Karlsruhe have deemed constitutional.
The following is added to the discussion: The chairman, Baldauf, suggests incorporating a regulation in the electorial system that ensures all elected candidates can actually take their seats in the Bundestag, preventing instances of directly elected members being unrepresented.
Furthermore, Baldauf criticizes the current situation as borderline electoral fraud, devaluing constituencies and the work of elected representatives.
