Germany’s Green Party has signaled a willingness to engage in cross-party discussions regarding further electoral law reform. Till Steffen, a legal policy spokesperson for the Greens, stated the party is “open and will look at what is put on the table” according to an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Steffen also commented on the pace of reform initiated by the governing coalition, noting, “It remains to be seen when the CDU/CSU and SPD get moving. They wanted to establish an electoral law commission before the summer break”. He added that the parties appear to be experiencing difficulties in initiating the process.
The comments come amidst ongoing debate surrounding the electoral law reform enacted by the current governing coalition – a move that caps the size of the Bundestag at 630 seats and eliminates overhang and leveling seats, potentially preventing some constituency winners from taking their seats.
Leopold Born, a constituency candidate for the CDU and the party’s General Secretary in Hesse, has criticized the current system as “unfair” arguing that the “botched traffic light electoral law” requires reform. He suggested a potential reduction in the number of constituencies from 299 to 270, a proposal previously considered by the CDU/CSU. This proposal envisioned a standard size of 598 parliamentarians and the allowance of up to 15 uncompensated overhang seats, which could distort majority relations in favor of the CDU/CSU due to their traditionally strong performance in winning direct mandates.
Both the CDU/CSU and the SPD agreed in their coalition agreement to pursue further electoral law reform, requiring a simple majority to pass. Bundestagspräsidentin (Federal Parliament President) Julia Klöckner (CDU) urged swift action during the parliamentary summer break. “Either we have to say we want a different electoral law, with no first and second vote, or we have to restore the importance of the first vote” she stated.
Both Steffen and Born affirmed their support for Germany’s two-vote system. “From my point of view, the first vote has always been the vote of confidence” said Born. “Therefore, I would also consider switching to a purely proportional representation system completely misguided”. He emphasized the need to strengthen the first vote, stating, “It must apply: whoever wins the majority locally, sits in the German Bundestag.
Steffen shares this view, adding that abolishing constituencies would be a mistake. He outlined the core challenge of electoral reform, stating, “We then have three goals, only two of which are achievable: the size of the Bundestag should be limited, every vote should be reflected and every constituency winner should become a member of parliament”. However, he explained, ensuring every constituency winner gains a seat would either distort majority relations through overhang seats or lead to an expansion of the Bundestag if those overhang seats were fully compensated.