BSW only lacked 9,000 votesA third of Germans support a recount of the federal election
BSW founder Wagenknecht vehemently called for a recount of the federal election. More than a third of the country’s citizens saw something similar. Most importantly, their own supporters and AfD voters support this. The consequences of the correction will have a significant impact on the federal government.
Should the federal election be repeated due to the narrow failure of the Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) Alliance? A survey shows German society is divided on the issue: 36 percent welcome the recount, 30 percent reject it. 21 percent were indifferent. These are the results of opinion research institute Insa’s online survey of respondents in 2010, which are available on Editorial Network Germany (RND). Unsurprisingly, BSW supporters had the greatest support for a recount: 77 percent supported it. For AfD sympathizers, the figure is 60 percent.
BSW founder Wagenknecht criticized the RND for the fact that the Bundestag’s election verification committee still does not meet to discuss BSW’s objections: “The election verification committee is becoming more and more of a joke week by week. There should have been a decision a long time ago. This committee is damaging the reputation of parliament and democracy,” he said. “The path to a recount should finally be finalized at next week’s meeting in late November.” It’s not just about BSW, but “what’s most important is confidence in democracy as a whole,” said the outgoing party leader.
With 4.981 percent in February, BSW barely managed to enter the Bundestag. The party is only about 9,000 votes short of clearing the five percent hurdle. Wagenknecht has repeatedly expressed confidence that the votes will be recounted.
Constitutional lawyer: There was no systematic election error
However, Berlin constitutional law professor Sophie Schönberger sees no reason to recount the federal election. He told RND: “There was no systematic voting error. The election audit process is not intended to say, maybe you can still find votes somewhere, but it is there to detect election errors.” To their knowledge, BSW did not “complain about any substantial errors in the election.”
“You cannot avoid the fact that there is “minimal counting error” in mass trials,” Schönberger told RND. “Because with so many voices, mistakes always happen because humans are not machines.” A recount will inevitably result in deviations from the official final results – “but the direction is still uncertain,” Schönberger told RND. “There is no provision for a recount based on mere suspicion.”
If the recount brings the BSW into the Bundestag, Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s black-red governing coalition will lose its majority. Merz will remain Chancellor for the time being, Schönberger explained to RND: “The Bundestag elected on February 23 will remain with the corrected composition. The fact that the composition of the Bundestag was later changed will not invalidate the Chancellor’s election. From the point of view of constitutional law, this is provided for in the Basic Law with maximum stability. Everything else is a political question.”
