London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

Berlin state elections must be repeated, court rules

Berlin state elections must be repeated, court rules

Last year’s regional elections in the German capital had ‘serious systemic flaws.’
Last year’s regional elections to the Berlin state parliament must be repeated, the German capital’s constitutional court ruled Wednesday.

In a damning verdict for authorities in the German capital, the court declared the election results for the Berlin House of Representatives and local district councils invalid. However, the decision does not affect the outcome of Germany’s general election, which took place on the same day.

Citing “serious systemic flaws” in the preparation of the elections, presiding judge Ludgera Selting ruled that the election must be repeated within 90 days, describing the situation as “unique … in the history of elections in the Federal Republic of Germany.” State Election Commissioner Stephan Bröchler said February 12, 2023 was the most likely date for the re-run.

On September 26, 2021, four votes were held on the same day in Berlin: the general election for the German federal parliament, the regional election for the Berlin city-state, local district elections, and a referendum on bringing some housing under government control.

Berlin was also hosting a marathon that day, and the result was chaos.

There were incorrect, missing or hastily copied ballots, too few ballot boxes, long lines with waiting times that sometimes lasted for hours, and votes cast after the closing time at 6 p.m.

According to the court, the standard of democratic elections was not met, and therefore a re-run is needed.

New elections are likely to change the political equilibrium in the state parliament, where the current mayor Franziska Giffey leads a coalition of her center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) with the Greens and the far-left Die Linke. According to current polls, the SPD is head-to-head with the Greens and the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

Should the state government change as a result of the repeated elections, it could also affect the political balance in the Bundesrat, the upper house of the German parliament.

Berlin’s CDU group — the largest opposition party — said the court ruling was a “heavy defeat” for Giffey.

“It is a low point for Berlin’s reputation in Germany and the world,” local CDU Secretary-General Stefan Evers said.

The Berlin SPD, meanwhile, sought to shift away the blame from Giffey toward former SPD mayor Michael Müller, who was in charge of overseeing the previous election, and argued that such failures would not happen under the new leader.

“There will not be a flawed election like last time with governing mayor Franziska Giffey,” the party said on Twitter.

Although Wednesday’s decision does not affect the votes in the general election that were cast in Berlin that day, the deficiencies that hampered elections in Berlin will likely lead to political consequences.

Last week, the German federal parliament voted to partially repeat the federal election in the capital. Citizens in 431 out of 2,257 Berlin electoral districts will again have to cast their first and second votes.

However, this could still be challenged by opposition parties before the Federal Constitutional Court in order to force a repeat of the general election across all of Berlin. As with the Berlin regional elections, it is expected that the final decision will rest with the court.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×