The German Bundestag has rejected the left-sovereigntist Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht’s (BSW) request for a nationwide recount of the February 23rd federal election, clearing the way for the party to appeal to the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe.
The decision was taken in a roll-call vote, with 426 deputies voting against the recount and 129 in favor. Only the right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) faction supported the BSW’s motion.
The party had alleged numerous counting errors, including a mix-up with the similarly named conservative Bündnis Deutschland (BD), which appeared directly above Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) on the ballot papers. The BSW narrowly missed the 5% threshold, receiving 4.981% of votes—9,529 votes short of parliamentary representation.
The key issue is that if the BSW was to enter the Bundestag after a recount, the CDU/CSU–SPD coalition government would lose its majority. That majority was only achieved because both the left-wing nationalist BSW and the liberal FDP failed to cross the 5% threshold. As a result, the CDU/CSU and SPD together received 44.9% of the votes–enough for an absolute majority of seats.
During the debate, AfD election inspector Fabian Jacobi criticized the Bundestag for postponing the issue, emphasizing that Parliament must ensure “an effective review of the correctness of the election.” BSW Federal Chairman Fabio De Masi highlighted the potential political consequences, stating
Germany may possibly have a chancellor without a legitimate majority. Only Karlsruhe could now protect the constitution.
The Bundestag followed the recommendation of its Election Audit Committee, which deemed the objections “unfounded” and found no evidence of systematic errors that would affect the election outcome.
The BSW now has two months to take its case to the Federal Constitutional Court, which will have the final say on whether the election results stand or if further scrutiny is warranted.
