Overview

• AfD deputy Stephan Brandner endorsed Sahra Wagenknecht’s call for a nationwide recount and urged a swift ruling, arguing a recount is warranted if there is any doubt about the Bundestag’s composition.
• The Bundestag’s election review committee is evaluating submissions from the Federal Returning Officer, state authorities, and the BSW response, with no timetable for a decision despite priority status.
• BSW missed the 5 percent threshold by about 9,500 votes and cites more than 4,000 additional votes found between the preliminary and official tallies, while election authorities have not reported systemic counting errors.
• Wagenknecht pressed other opposition parties to support a recount, but the Greens and the Left said they will await the committee’s assessment, and the SPD chair of the panel declined to pre-judge the case.
• A successful challenge could strip the Union–SPD coalition of its majority and give AfD plus BSW enough seats to initiate investigative committees, though some legal experts doubt BSW’s claim and a Constitutional Court appeal remains a fallback.