Electoral reform: rejection with a message

the result of the vote on the opposition the draft had already suggested itself: On Friday, the coalition made the proposal of FDP, Left and Greens to the prevention of a further increase of the Bundestag by the fall. The unusual Alliance of the three opposition factions had presented at the end of last year, the only bill in the year-long dispute over electoral reform.

Eckart Lohse

head of the Parliamentary office in Berlin.

the Union and the SPD had consistently ensured that the treatment was delayed in the Committee. On Friday they prevented even in the case decided was only whether the application would be rejected-advised in the second reading:. From the ranks of the Opposition was voiced in the parliamentary debate, the suspicion, the coalition would have had. the vote in the case of prevented out of fear that the opposition could request to get votes from the CDU and the SPD

A prominent voice had already determined previously, in this sense, The social democratic Vice President of the Bundestag, Thomas Oppermann, had made in the Council of Elders for the Opposition, so that at least on Friday allowed a vote, if a substantive decision is made.

Ten direct mandates for the Opposition

Currently, the Bundestag has regularly 599 members. In fact, he has grown with the election in 2017 in 709 requested. The reason is that Gets a party more seats by winning constituencies than on the basis of the second vote result is entitled to receive these direct mandates anyway. For some time, these so-called overhang, must be balanced mandates, in order to give the other parties more weight in Parliament. On the one hand, all parties benefit in this way, on the other hand, the Bundestag continues to grow. There are calculations that it could be at the next election more than 800 members. Like to comparisons with the Chinese people's Congress to be hired, lack of space and cost of developing an ugly betting afford to race.