The Berliners are called this Sunday, September 20, to elect again the Abgeordnetenhaus, the regional parliament of the German capital. The proximity between these elections and those held in February 2023 may raise doubts, but the reason lies in an electoral crisis that began in 2021.
The 2023 elections were a repetition
In September of 2021, Berlin held elections for the regional parliament alongside the federal elections. The day was marked by numerous organizational irregularities, such as the lack or exchange of ballots and long lines at some polling stations.
The problems led the courts to order the repetition of the elections for the Abgeordnetenhaus, which took place on February 12, 2023.
Therefore, the 2023 elections did not constitute a new ordinary election at the end of a legislature, but rather the repetition of the 2021 vote.
Why is it time to vote again in 2026?
The legislation of Berlin establishes an electoral cycle of five years for the regional parliament. The repetition of 2023 did not modify the duration of the legislature that had begun with the elections of 2021.
That is to say, although the Berliners voted again in 2023, the legislature remained that which was initiated in 2021. That is why the next ordinary elections correspond to 2026.
This circumstance explains that only about three and a half years have passed between the last two votes, instead of the usual five years.
What is being elected this Sunday?
In the 2026 elections, the minimum 130 deputies of the Abgeordnetenhaus are elected, although the final number may be higher due to the system of additional and compensatory mandates.
Voters also elect the assemblies of the 12 districts of Berlin. On this occasion, in addition, young people aged 16 and 17 can vote for the first time in the elections for the regional parliament.
The polling stations are open between 08:00 and 18:00 hours.
The difference between 2023 and 2026
The fundamental difference is, therefore, the nature of each vote.
In 2023, the Berliners repeated the elections held in 2021 due to the irregularities of that day. The result allowed completing the legislature that had begun in 2021.
In 2026, on the other hand, the ordinary elections corresponding to the end of that five-year cycle are held. The result will determine the composition of the new regional parliament and the subsequent formation of the Government of Berlin.
That is why Berlin votes again in 2026 even though it already did so in 2023: that voting was a repetition of the 2021 elections and did not open a new five-year term.