The Bundestag’s procedures for electing the Federal Chancellor are set to undergo revisions proposed jointly by the Union and Social Democratic Party (SPD). According to reports by “Focus” magazine, the changes aim to prevent procedural gridlock should a third round of voting become necessary.
Currently, proposing a candidate in a third round requires either a nomination from a parliamentary group or from one-quarter of the Bundestag members. The proposed amendment modifies this, stating that if neither a proposal from a quarter of the members nor a nomination from a group representing five percent of the parliament is submitted, any individual member of the Bundestag will be granted the right to propose a candidate.
The revised § 4, paragraph 3 of the Bundestag’s rules of procedure, which will be put to a vote, also reduces the requirements for a quorum during a third ballot. Under the proposed changes, the Bundestag will be considered capable of making a decision even if fewer than half of its members are present.
The rationale behind this change, as described by the Union and SPD, is to mitigate the potential for political maneuvering that could prolong the third round of voting. No alterations to the process for the second round of voting are planned.
The proposed amendments follow an earlier situation in which Friedrich Merz (CDU) narrowly missed securing a majority of votes for Chancellor in the initial ballot. The second round of voting was only possible thanks to the support of the Left Party, as its absence would have rendered the process legally untenable. While the coalition parties, CDU/CSU and SPD, held a majority in the Bundestag, they lacked the necessary two-thirds majority to override the existing rules and facilitate a same-day second ballot.