Berlin unprecedented election repeat, mandated by the Constitutional Court, is set for Sunday February 11th, 2024, a historic first in German politics. Following the chaotic original elections on September 26th, 2021, this decision has sparked widespread interest and debate.
The Berlin unprecedented election repeat will require reballoting at 455 of Berlin’s 2256 polling stations. Voters will have the opportunity to cast their ballots once again to determine their representatives in the Bundestag. This election redo is expected to have a significant impact, especially in certain boroughs where a large percentage of polling stations are affected. For instance, in Pankow, 85 percent of polling stations will participate in the revote, while in Lichtenberg, it’s only 2.9 percent.
The chaotic circumstances surrounding the original voting day prompted the decision to hold these repeat elections. The September 2021 elections, known as ‘Superwahltag’ or super election day, coincided with multiple other events. This includes state and local elections and a referendum on property expropriation. This convergence, along with logistical hurdles like road closures for the Berlin marathon, resulted in widespread chaos. Many polling stations opened late, ran out of ballots, or even distributed ballots with incorrect candidate listings. The ensuing confusion prompted concerns about the integrity of the election results.
Despite nearly two and a half years passing since the original elections, all candidates remain the same as mandated by the Constitutional Court. This implies that voters will encounter identical ballots, with no new candidates allowed to participate. Former AfD MP Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, currently in custody for alleged ties to a far-right terrorist cell, is running for reelection.