German parliament committee rejects BSW challenge to election outcome

On Thursday, a committee of the German parliament dismissed a request from the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) to challenge the results of the February parliamentary elections. The BSW, which secured 4.981% of the national vote, narrowly missed the 5% threshold required to gain seats in the Bundestag, and had called for a vote recount.

Committee chair Macit Karaahmetolu, speaking in Berlin, stated that the objections raised by the BSW were deemed baseless. He added that the committee had thoroughly reviewed the partys claims, which were found to be incorrect in every aspect.

The next step involves a plenary session of the Bundestag, where the full chamber will consider the committees recommendation. Should the majority uphold the committees decision, the BSW plans to pursue legal action, likely bringing the matter before the Federal Constitutional Court, which previously ruled in June that the BSWs complaints were inadmissible.

Having split from The Left party a year ago, the BSW missed the 5% requirement by 9,529 votes. The party argued that as many as 32,000 votes for them were either not counted or wrongly allocated. Despite months of campaigning for a recount and sending tens of thousands of emails to the review committee, the negative outcome had been anticipated.

The committees 46-page report, published recently, confirmed that the BSWs claims were unfounded. The party responded on its website, criticizing the decision as politically motivated, suggesting that fears of losing representation in the Bundestag influenced the outcome.

Had the BSW succeeded in its challenge, it could have had significant political repercussions. The current centre-right coalition, comprising Friedrich Merzs Christian Democrats, the Bavaria-based Christian Social Union, and the Social Democratic Party, would have lost its Bundestag majority if the BSW had crossed the 5% threshold.

Author: Gavin Porter