Overview

• Sigrid Emmenegger, Ann‑Katrin Kaufhold and Günter Spinner won 446, 440 and 424 votes respectively, surpassing the two‑thirds threshold of 409 out of 613 ballots cast.
• The vote ended an eleven‑week impasse triggered by July’s aborted ballot over SPD nominee Frauke Brosius‑Gersdorf, whose withdrawal cleared the way for Emmenegger.
• Because Union and SPD together fall short of two‑thirds, approval relied on backing from the Greens and parts of the Left; the extent of any AfD support remains unknown due to the secret vote.
• Emmenegger and Kaufhold are set for the Second Senate and Spinner for the First, restoring full benches in Karlsruhe.
• The Deutsche Richterbund welcomed the outcome yet warned July’s turmoil eroded trust, as the Bundesrat prepares to vote on Kaufhold as vice president on Friday before presidential appointments in early October.