Parliamentary Elections Accumulated in One Location - Nouripour's Statement
The Bundestag Vice President, Omid Nouripour of the Green Party, has put forth a proposal to revamp the election schedule in Germany. If implemented, this proposal would bundle all state elections and extend the term of the Bundestag to five years.
Nouripour's plan aims to address the "breathlessness" in politics caused by the frequent elections, with Germany currently having one state election after another. He believes that this proposal would provide those in charge with the time needed to implement their ideas effectively.
Under the proposed changes, all state parliaments in Germany would be elected on the same day, as opposed to the current system where election dates vary across states. The Bundestag elections would be combined with municipal elections, creating a more streamlined voting process.
However, the hurdles for implementing this proposal are high. It would require cooperation between the federal government and the states, and a constitutional amendment might be necessary to extend the term of the Bundestag.
Currently, the Bundestag is elected every four years, while state parliaments (except Bremen) are elected every five years. The maximum time between two election campaigns in Germany, according to Nouripour, is six months. Next year, there will be five state elections on four different dates in March and September: Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The CSU-Generalsekretär Martin Huber has criticised Nouripour's proposals, arguing that they interfere with the federal decision-making competence of the Bundesländer. As of now, only Nouripour is publicly known to support this proposal among federal and state politicians.
Nouripour, a former Green Party leader, hopes that this proposal will bring much-needed stability to the political landscape of Germany. The Green Party leader stated that the current system is exhausting for both politics and party headquarters, and a change is necessary to ensure that those in power can effectively govern and implement their policies.
