Germany Karlsruhe rejects BSW requests for a recount of the election
The Federal Constitutional Court has rejected several applications by the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) and party members seeking a recount of the Bundestag election. "Just as before the election, legal protection in relation to this election is only possible to a limited extent before the final election result is determined," announced the highest German court in Karlsruhe.
13.03.2025, 19:47
SDA
The Second Senate referred to the usual election review procedure at the Bundestag. This is not associated with any unreasonable disadvantages. Applications for a temporary injunction were inadmissible. The rejected applications included an urgent application to determine the official final result of the election to the 21st German Bundestag only once the votes have been completely recounted.
According to the provisional results of the Bundestag elections in February, the BSW had very narrowly failed to reach the five percent hurdle with 4.972 percent of the vote. According to the party at the time, around 13,400 votes were missing.
The aim is a recount
Wagenknecht's motion was aimed at postponing the final result scheduled for Friday and achieving a recount of the votes. The party founder, co-chair Amira Mohamed Ali, as well as two members and two voters of the BSW had filed a lawsuit.
The party argued with the results of individual recounts in several places. These had shown that BSW votes had been incorrectly allocated or counted as invalid. Wagenknecht recently said that the party had already been awarded several thousand additional votes following the individual checks. Now only around 9,500 votes were missing to cross the five percent hurdle.
Objection after the final result has been determined
There was a "very realistic chance" that the BSW had in fact achieved five percent of the vote after all, said Wagenknecht. Only a nationwide recount could clarify this.
At the same time, the party founder had already conceded: "We actually have no right to sue now." The normal procedure would be to wait for the official final result and then lodge an objection with the Bundestag. It intends to take this route if the current lawsuit does not succeed.
For the party, which was only founded at the beginning of 2024, entering the Bundestag would be of the utmost political importance. If it did find a way into parliament, the seats would be redistributed. A two-party coalition of the CDU/CSU and SPD might no longer have a majority.
