Repeat of the Bundestag election in many parts of Berlin is approaching
A repeat of the Bundestag election in many parts of Berlin is becoming increasingly likely. As the online magazine "The Pioneer" reported on Wednesday, a new vote is planned in 440 of the total of 2257 polling stations.This emerges from a draft resolution of the election review committee. On this SPD, Greens, and FDP have agreed. The CDU/CSU and the AfD want to vote against. On September 8, the committee wants to decide on it, then in October the Bundestag will vote.
All twelve Berlin districts, in particular Pankow, Mitte and Reinickendorf, would be affected by the election repetition. The main issue is the second vote - with one exception: In constituency 77 in Reinickendorf, the election of the direct candidates is also to be repeated. Here the CDU candidate Monika Grütters had prevailed with only 1788 votes against the SPD candidate Torsten Einstmann.
In the Senate and in the red-green-red coalition, concern is growing that the election for the House of Representatives will also have to be repeated. In Senate circles, there is now open talk of the "very likely scenario of a partial repeat". Among the Greens and the CDU, the possibility of a complete repeat of the election is also considered possible.
The opposition in the federal government also reacted. "The fact that the electoral review committee recommends repeating the vote in 440 polling stations is a bitter moment for the acceptance of democracy. And it is an indictment of the capital," CDU Secretary General Mario Czaja told the Tagesspiegel. He, too, believes it is likely that the election for the House of Representatives will have to be repeated, at least in part. "Then we will fight to finally replace Berlin's unimaginative Senate."
The Berlin Constitutional Court will decide whether the elections to the House of Representatives must be repeated. A public hearing on the matter is scheduled for September 28. The hearing is to discuss the issues of "election errors," "influencing the distribution of seats," and "legal consequences." A decision is expected towards the end of the year. A new vote could take place in March.
However, preparations for a possible election rerun are already starting. On Friday, the working group "Good Elections in Berlin" appointed by Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD) will meet for the first time. The agenda is available to the Tagesspiegel.
Among other things, the establishment of a state election office and permanent district election offices is to be pushed forward there. In the future, polling stations are to be set up by external service providers, and ballots distributed by logisticians. Still unfilled is the role of the state election administrator, who resigned after the election. The office management has also not yet been filled. A suitable candidate decided against it at short notice.
Election day in Berlin on September 26, 2021 was marked by numerous glitches. Many people were unable to cast their votes in the ballots for the Bundestag, the House of Representatives and the district councils. Ballots were missing or incorrectly labeled. In some cases, people were still voting after 6 p.m.
