A debate over potential electoral reform in Germany is escalating, with Vice President of the Bundestag, Omid Nouripour of the Green Party, criticizing the refusal of CSU General Secretary Martin Huber to engage in discussion Nouripour expressed disappointment with what he characterized as a consistent pattern of opposition from the CSU to proposals originating outside their own party, even those aimed at improving governance He argued that simple opposition doesn’t address existing systemic issues
Nouripour has proposed a comprehensive overhaul of the German electoral calendar, including synchronized state elections, a five-year legislative period for the federal parliament and aligning elections with local council votes This would consolidate German parliamentary elections to just two dates, with state elections occurring midway through the Bundestag’s term He indicated a willingness to collaborate across party lines to address what he sees as an ongoing cycle of constant campaigning and a lack of strategic long-term planning
Huber responded sharply to Nouripour’s proposals, accusing the Green politician of attempting to undermine the autonomy of Germany’s federal states and launching an attack on the principles of federalism He affirmed the right of Bavaria and other states, to independently determine their own election dates and legislative periods The core disagreement centers around the balance of power between the federal government and individual states within Germany’s political structure and the best approach to managing the frequency and coordination of elections