Post photo: Reichstag building | © Christian Ader, Getty Images
Who still remembers the fall of 1996, when the Bundestag decided to reduce its statutory standard size from 656 to 598 MPs? Even then, I was convinced that the Bundestag, even with 598 members, was still overstaffed, especially since the Member States of the European Union were becoming more and more intertwined with each other and the European Parliament's competences were being consequently expanded strengthening federalism, competences could also be returned to the federal states. The target figure could be 150 MPs, spread across approx. 80 constituencies, thus ensuring that the Bundestag can not only work effectively but also efficiently.
A "negative voting weight" created in the meantime by the Bundestag prompted the Federal Constitutional Court in 2008 to declare the federal election law in need of revision and to force the Bundestag to reform it, which finally came into force in spring 2013, but due to a failure to take place after the decision of 1996 mandatory constituency reform, which further increased the number of MPs.
The 19th Bundestag now consists of 709 deputies, 111 of them due to overhang and compensation mandates, and is therefore almost as large as the European Parliament, which with a total of 751 deputies is responsible for over 500 million Union citizens.
Even a reduction of the constituencies to a total of 150, but with two direct mandates each, which was brought up for discussion, was rejected by the affected members of the 18th Bundestag. It would be good for our current grand coalition to ensure as soon as possible that the 20th Bundestag at least once again adheres to its legally stipulated standard size of 598 deputies.
My conclusion: you don't have to judge your deputies by their words, but by their deeds!
"Where would be the superiority of what we defend if we were unable to overcome our well-founded resentment?"
Albert Camus in a letter to the French Minister of Justice (December 5.12.1946, XNUMX)
