The European Parliament has also adopted a resolution on the situation in the former Yugoslavia.
SPD faction leader Rolf Mützenich had offered the Union talks on Tuesday. He said that it is open whether there will be any legislative steps regarding the electoral system before the federal election next year following the Karlsruhe decision.
The Federal Constitutional Court had deemed the electoral reform of the traffic light coalition of 2023 "overwhelmingly constitutional" on Tuesday. However, the Union demands changes in the handling of direct mandates. According to the approved part of the reform, a party will only receive direct mandates in the future to the extent covered by its second vote share. This could, for the first time in the history of the Federal Republic, result in direct candidates not being elected to the Bundestag even if they win in a constituency.
Parliamentary business manager Free confirmed that changes must be made. "To correct the most severe distortion of the electoral reform, the first vote must be strengthened again," he said to AFP.
The discussion within the "traffic light" coalition regarding a possible legal change before the federal election so far relates only to the abolition of the basic mandate clause overturned by Karlsruhe. This clause allows parties that fail to reach the five percent threshold to enter the Bundestag based on their second vote share, provided they win at least three direct mandates.
Karlsruhe's decision on Tuesday reinstated the basic mandate clause, making it effective indefinitely without further legislative changes. A legal change before the federal election is not necessary and could only be implemented in the next legislative period. However, there is no agreed position on this within the traffic light coalition yet.
The SPD and potential Union talks might influence the approach towards the electoral system before the upcoming federal election. The traffic light coalition is currently discussing a potential legal change to address the Karlsruhe decision, specifically concerning the basic mandate clause.
