Bavarian constituencies: Dispute over planned redistricting
The planned redrawing of parliamentary constituencies in Bavaria could be revised once again. This became apparent late on Thursday evening in the Bundestag during the first reading of a corresponding draft bill. CSU MP Alexander Hoffmann criticized that the plans of the traffic light coalition would split the district of Augsburg into three different constituencies. Sebastian Hartmann, the SPD parliamentary group's domestic policy spokesman, then offered the CDU/CSU parties new negotiations on the delimitation of the constituencies in order to pass the reform with as broad a majority as possible.
Due to the declining population in Saxony-Anhalt, the state is to lose a constituency to Bavaria in the next federal election. It is therefore planned to dissolve the Anhalt constituency, which includes Bitterfeld-Wolfen and Köthen. This has led to criticism from the AfD and the Left Party in particular. In Bavaria, the new constituency of Memmingen is to be created instead, although the details of this are controversial locally. The draft bill will now be discussed in the relevant committees before the Bundestag takes a final vote on it in the coming weeks or months.
The discussion over the redistricting in Bavaria also involves the Bundestag, as criticisms about the proposed division of Augsburg into three constituencies were voiced during the first reading of a related draft bill. The traffic light coalition's plans could potentially impact the representation of Bavaria in the Bundestag through elections.
Source: www.dpa.com
