Why has the German constitutional court upheld the move to downsize the lower house of parliament?
The court approved the government's decision to reduce the Bundestag's (German Parliament) size to 630 seats starting from the 2025 elections.
The current Bundestag, with 736 members, is the largest among democratic parliaments, causing strain on public finances and legislative efficiency.
The move aims to address the rising number of legislators due to Germany’s mixed-member proportional representation system and the addition of overhang and balance seats.
How does a mixed-member proportional representation system work?
Voters cast two ballots—one for a local candidate (first vote) and one for a party (second vote).
Local Seats: 299 seats are filled based on the first vote using a first-past-the-post system.
Party Seats: 299 seats are allocated based on the second vote, proportional to the party's share of the vote.
A party must have secured either 5% of the second vote share or a minimum of three individual constituencies to qualify for entry into parliament.
The 5% threshold was stipulated to prevent too many splinter parties from entering the Bundestag
Seat Allocation: The total seats for each party are the higher of their direct wins or proportional share based on second votes.
What are balance or overhang seats and why were they deemed unconstitutional?
Overhang Seats: Extra seats won by a party when it secures more direct seats than its proportional share.
Balance Seats: Additional seats given to smaller parties to balance out the overhang seats and ensure proportional representation
Overhang and balance seats led to an unmanageable increase in the number of legislators, which the court ruled violated the principle of equal suffrage
COMMENTS