Bunding election under pressure: less MPs, more worried in Hesse!

Bunding election under pressure: less MPs, more worried in Hesse!

On March 10, 2025, the Bundestag faces a profound challenge. The city of Darmstadt is not represented in the new parliament by a direct candidate. This raises concerns among local politicians who fear an adequate representation of their region. Michael Brand, the CDU state group leader, expressed his understanding of these concerns and described the situation as "damage with announcement".

Direct candidates play a crucial role as a advocate of their constituencies. They represent important concerns such as municipal projects, the creation of fast internet, infrastructure measures, monument preservation and research funding. In the current situation, Astrid Mannes, the directly elected CDU MP, is not able to represent the interests of Darmstadt in Berlin. This increases the concerns about the future of representation in the region.

a new right to vote with far -reaching consequences

The new voting right, which came into force in June 2023, led to the fact that not all the constituency candidates that are elected directly can automatically move into parliament. According to a report by daily show.de , the number of deputies in the Bundestag was reduced from 736 to 630. This was done as part of a reform that was initiated by the traffic light coalition and contained the deletion of overhang and equalization mandates.

The reform means that direct candidates now have to reach the number of second votes in their party in order to be represented in the Bundestag. This could lead to less chances of gaining a place in parliament, especially in larger cities. For example, Sertac Bilgin, a CDU candidate in the Ludwigshafen-Frankenthal constituency, could not move into the Bundestag despite a possible election victory.

Professor Volker Boehme-Neßler expressed concerns that the new electoral law could undermine confidence in democracy. He criticized the fact that the power of the parties is strengthened and the list positions are often decided behind closed doors, which endangers democratic transparency.

changed structures and political reactions

The changes in the right to vote also make the representation in the various constituencies. According to the reform, only constituency applicants who have received the relative majority of the first votes in their constituency may get a seat, provided that their party has also received enough second votes. If you do not admit parties with less than five percent of the second votes, this could further destabilize the political landscape.

In the current discussion about the new right to vote, there are already demands for a reform. Bilgin and other CDU candidates have announced that they are in the next legislative period for a revision of the right to vote to ensure the representation of citizens in the Bundestag.

Despite the goal of reducing the Bundestag and making its size predictable, it can be seen in the current situation that the new regulations can lead to considerable uncertainties on both local and nationwide level. The topic therefore remains of great importance for democracy in Germany.