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German Parliamentary Panel Rejects BSW Bid for Nationwide Recount

The full Bundestag will now take up the case, a step that is expected to clear the way for BSW to file in the Constitutional Court.

Overview

  • The Bundestag’s election review committee voted to dismiss BSW’s objections, with chair Macit Karaahmetoğlu saying the party’s submissions were unsubstantiated and revealed no seat‑relevant violations of election law.
  • A 46‑page recommendation underpinning the decision had circulated in advance, concluding there was no election error warranting a nationwide recount.
  • BSW, which fell short of the five‑percent threshold with 4.981 percent and about 9,529 votes, argues counting mistakes cost it seats and says it will challenge the outcome in Karlsruhe.
  • If BSW ultimately entered the Bundestag, seats would be reallocated in a way that could strip the current CDUSPD government of its working majority.
  • As the legal fight proceeds, BSW convenes a party congress in Magdeburg to rebrand and reshuffle its leadership, while in Berlin the SPD and CDU advance a motion to explore a Bundesrat initiative on party‑ban procedures linked to extremist threats.