In the partial repeat of the federal election in Berlin, only just under a fifth of those eligible to vote had voted by midday. The second attempt didn’t go completely smoothly either.
- Repeat elections are underway in a fifth of Berlin’s electoral districts
- Voter turnout lower than in 2021
- Around 550,000 people can vote again
- Some MPs could lose their direct mandate
- Result not expected before midnight
The Berlin partial repeat election to the Bundestag began with a comparatively low voter turnout. In the electoral districts affected by the repeat election, 18.3 percent of eligible voters went to the polls by 12 p.m. According to the state election authority, that was a good eight percentage points less than in the same period in 2021 (26.8).
Together with the valid results of the 2021 election, this results in a voter turnout of 25.4 percent. This is also below the value for 2021, which was 27.4 percent back then.
Live blog for the repeat election +++ Minor glitches in Kreuzberg and Pankow
Significantly lower voter turnout +++ No serious incidents +++ Minor breakdowns in Pankow and Kreuzberg +++ Fewer postal voters than in 2021 +++ All developments in the live blogmore
Minor breakdowns in Pankow and Kreuzberg
As state returning officer Stephan Bröchler told rbb at midday, the election has been going largely smoothly so far. He confirmed rbb information about a smaller one Breakdown in Berlin-Pankow. The election workers initially couldn’t get hold of the voting documents because a key was missing. Voters were only able to cast their votes here about 40 minutes late.
At another polling station in Pankow, an electoral officer was replaced by his deputy because he was “uncooperative,” the DPA news agency reported. There were no delays there.
In Kreuzberg, according to Bröchler, an electoral board was delayed due to an accident with a taxi, so that the polling station in question also started late. “This can happen with the best organization,” said the state returning officer.
MPs have to worry about direct mandates
The repeat election is unlikely to change the balance of power in the Bundestag. Berlin currently has 29 of the 736 members of parliament. However, some directly elected members of the Bundestag could lose their mandate again. In Pankow, for example, the green constituency winner in 2021, Stefan Gelbhaar, has to worry about his seat in parliament.
Some prominent names could also lose their direct mandate on Sunday: the former Minister of State for Culture Monika Grütters (CDU), the former Governing Mayor Michael Müller (SPD) and SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert. In this case, they would still remain members of the Bundestag because they are secured by high places on their party’s state lists. In return, MPs who are at the bottom of the list would lose their mandate.
In these four constituencies, the direct mandates could go to others
The partial repetition of the federal election in Berlin will only have a minor impact on the balance of power in parliament. In some constituencies, however, old duels can produce new results. The CDU in particular has an advantage.more
No forecasts or projections
Even if the Berlin repeat election will probably only change the composition of the parliamentary groups in the Bundestag, observers believe it could be a test of sentiment for current federal politics.
Polling stations are open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. As usual, forecasts and projections will not be made immediately after the polling stations close: the polling stations will transmit the results of their counting to the state returning officer during the evening. The preliminary result is not expected before midnight.
The rbb television broadcasts one on Sunday evening (February 11th). Special broadcast on the election: “Your choice – results and analysis” at 8:15 p.m
