A local constitutional court in Berlin on Wednesday ruled that the city-state of Berlin has to repeat the 2021 elections to its House of Representatives, as they are invalid.
The verdict confirms an earlier preliminary ruling that the elections, conducted simultaneously with federal polls in September 2021, were so severely flawed that a complete rerun was necessary.
The failings include too few ballot boxes, incorrect and copied ballot papers, and widespread delays stretching well beyond the official closing time for the polling stations.
The repeat election has to take place within 90 days, with Feb. 12 expected as the likely date.
Germany’s Bundestag, 12 city district parliaments, and a referendum were all up for a vote in Berlin on Sept. 26, 2021.
The Bundestag had already decided that some Berliners would have to repeat their vote for Germany’s lower house of parliament.
It was not clear when this will occur, since the decision was likely to be challenged before the federal constitutional court.
