A guillotine hangs over this legislative period in Berlin: the possibility of a re-election. It’s becoming more and more likely.
The election examination committee of the Bundestag wants to have the parliamentary elections repeated in almost 20 percent of all Berlin voting districts. A corresponding decision is imminent.
The state constitutional court will soon be hearing whether the vote for the Berlin parliamentary elections, which took place at the same time in September 2021, must be partially or completely repeated due to chaotic circumstances.
The Senate must therefore take action immediately: The replacement of the state election management is urgent, and the office is also still vacant. Berlin is currently not prepared for a new election.
But the members of the Bundestag and the constitutional judges in Berlin also have to think about the far-reaching democratic-theoretical and constitutional implications of a large-scale re-election. Valid votes are of great importance in constitutional law. Repeat elections could shift majorities.
The eagerness to correct mistakes must not obscure the fact that the vast majority voted without any problems. The balance has to be right. Otherwise everyone loses – including democracy.
