The Liberals are calling for a reduction in the size of the state parliament. With the reform of the electoral law, they were not able to assert themselves. Now they want to let the people vote.
Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – The FDP is planning a referendum to downsize the state parliament. FDP parliamentary group leader Hans-Ulrich Rülke said in Stuttgart: “We want a significant reduction in the number of constituencies with the aim of limiting the number of MPs.” It is about the fact that state politics saves itself. If Parliament doesn’t have the strength to do so, then you have to turn to the people. Rülke and FDP General Secretary Judith Skudelny want to present their plans today.
The referendum is intended to push through changes to the electoral law for the state parliament, which was changed in the spring. In the past, the Liberals had repeatedly warned that the new electoral law would cause parliament to become bloated and proposed reducing the number of constituencies from 70 to 60. However, the Liberals were unable to assert themselves.
With the electoral law reform, two-vote voting rights were introduced in April for Baden-Württemberg. With the first vote, the constituency candidate is elected directly. The second vote goes to a party, which draws up a state list for it – this gives the parties more influence in the choice of candidates. The distribution of seats in the state parliament is determined by the second vote. Depending on the number of direct mandates a party has, a balance and thus more seats in parliament will be necessary in order to achieve a distribution of seats according to the second votes. The Bundestag, which has been growing ever more recently, is also struggling with similar problems. The reform in the southwest should ensure, among other things, that more women enter the plenum.
