Berlin to Hold Fifth Snap Poll in Three and a Half Years: All You Need to Know
Berlin is gearing up for its fifth election in just three and a half years, with the Bundestag (German Parliament) vote scheduled for February 23rd. Here’s a comprehensive overview of what’s at stake in the capital city:
Parties and Candidates
A total of 18 parties have submitted their state lists for the election, six fewer than in 2021. The lists of seven smaller parties, including the Pirate Party, the Ecological Democratic Party (ÖDP), and the conservative Werteunion, were rejected due to insufficient support. Each party required at least 2,000 signatures from registered Berlin voters to qualify.
Registered Voters and Turnout
According to the electoral commission, 2.43 million Berliners are eligible to vote on February 23rd. This number may increase slightly before the voter registration period closes. In the 2021 election, including the partial re-run in 2024, there were 2.46 million eligible voters with a turnout of 69.5%. State Electoral Commissioner Stephan Bröchler has expressed optimism for a turnout of "80 percent plus x" this time.
Voting Process
On election day, 2,200 polling stations will be open from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Voters can cast their ballots in person at these locations. Additionally, 1,205 mail-in voting stations will be set up, where votes cast before election day will be counted after 6:00 PM.
Electoral System
Voters have two votes: the first vote (Erststimme) for a direct candidate in their選挙区 (constituency) and the second vote (Zweitstimme) for a party’s state list. The second vote determines the distribution of seats in the Bundestag.
Preparations
To avoid the problems experienced in the chaotic 2021 election, the Electoral Commission has prepared ample ballots, with approximately 3.3 million available for the 2.4 million eligible voters. The Commission does not anticipate any shortages.
The reduced timeframe for mail-in voting, from six weeks to two, has prompted the electoral authorities to discourage voters from using postal services. Instead, they recommend casting mail-in votes at designated locations in each district.
Election Day Staff
The twelve Berlin districts estimate that they will need approximately 36,600 election workers. According to the Electoral Commissioner, this target has been not only met but exceeded. Workers will receive up to 120 euros as a thank-you for their efforts.
Previous Election and Irregularities
The Bundestag election was initially held in Berlin in February 2024, but only in some parts of the city. The 2021 Bundestag and state parliament elections were marred by severe irregularities, including missing and misplaced ballots and long queues at polling stations. As a result, the state parliament election had to be re-run in its entirety in 2023, while the Bundestag election was re-run a year later in one-fifth of Berlin’s constituencies.
Projected Results
Projections and extrapolations for the nationwide performance of the parties will be available from 6:00 PM, but no results will be available for Berlin at that time. The preliminary results for Berlin are expected around 1:30 AM. Determining which direct candidates won in each of the twelve constituencies may be more complex due to electoral reforms. Not all candidates who receive the most first votes in their constituencies will automatically enter the Bundestag, which now has 630 seats.
2021 Election Results
In the 2021 Bundestag election, including the partial re-run in 2024, the SPD emerged as the top party in Berlin with 22.2% of the second votes, followed by the Greens (22.0%), CDU (17.2%), Left (11.5%), AfD (9.4%), and FDP (8.1%). Of the twelve direct mandates available in the capital, the SPD won four, the Greens and CDU won three each, and the Left won two.
Berlin Representatives in the Bundestag
When combining the candidates elected directly with those elected through party lists, Berlin had 29 representatives in the Bundestag in 2021. The partial re-run in 2024 reduced this number to 25. The SPD and Greens each have six representatives, the CDU has five, the AfD and Left each have three, and the FDP has two.
