SPD women insist that parity must be a prerequisite for any electoral reform. “For the SPD women I can say clearly: no reform without parity” their national chair, Carmen Wegge, told “Stern”.
The social democrats argue that omitting parity would leave the system behind the demands of today. “Women’s expectation is crystal clear: it is time to take the next step” she added.
In the coalition agreement the black‑red alliance committed to a reform of the current Bundestag electoral law and set up a commission to oversee it. Two specific tasks were assigned: first, to examine how “equal representation” of women in parliament could be achieved; second, to investigate whether citizens as young as 16 should be allowed to vote.
The women’s wing of the Christian Democratic Union approached the parity proposal more cautiously. “I am generally in favor of parity, but there are constitutional hurdles” the CDU national chair, Nina Warken, told a news outlet. “Our aim must be a stable electoral law”.
Warken called for proposals on how to ensure that all directly elected members could enter the Bundestag. She pointed out that a cap has led to eight female members being excluded from representation. “This lack of female representation in the territories and in the constituencies is concerning” she said.