The leaders of the parliamentary groups in the Berlin House of Representatives are united in their opposition to the demand that came up after the controversial election of Kai Wegner (CDU) as governing mayor to abolish secret elections in parliament.
“Neither citizens nor MPs are subject to control in their voting behavior. On the contrary, they are free and that is why elections are secret. I do not question this cornerstone of our free, democratic basic order because of right-wing extremist lies,” said the new chairman of the CDU parliamentary group, Dirk Stettner, to the Tagesspiegel.
The deputies in a representative democracy are representatives of the entire people, not bound by orders and instructions and subject only to their conscience.
With 86 votes, we received exactly the votes from the CDU and SPD for the election of Kai Wegner. There’s no reason to doubt that.
Dirk StettnerCDU parliamentary group leader, on the election of Kai Wegner
Stettner also again rejected the assumption that Wegner could have been elected governor with votes from the AfD: “With 86 votes, we received exactly the votes from the CDU and SPD for the election of Kai Wegner. There’s no reason to doubt that.”
Wegner was only elected governing mayor by the Berlin House of Representatives last Thursday in the third ballot. He received 86 votes, as many as the black-red coalition has seats in parliament. However, the AfD claims that several members of their group voted for Wegner. That cannot be checked.
Also in view of this case, the political scientist Frank Decker pleaded in a guest article for the Tagesspiegel for an end to secret voting in parliament. The secret election is therefore difficult to reconcile with democratic principles.
Political scientist calls for the end of secret ballots in parliament
“By making it impossible for voters to understand how MPs carry out the mandate they have been given, it relieves them of the obligation to answer to the electorate for their actions. However, accountability is the basic principle of the parliamentary-democratic form of government,” writes Decker in his contribution.
The SPD faction leader Raed Saleh disagrees. “This has been discussed in science for a long time; I still find the German constitutional position on secret elections to be correct, even as parliamentary group leader, especially since it underlines the special position of the members of parliament.”
A secret ballot can ensure that everyone can vote freely and without having to fear consequences in the parliamentary space.
Werner GrafGreens co-group leader
The co-head of the Greens group, Werner Graf, also opposes the demand. “A secret election can ensure that everyone can vote freely and without fear of consequences in the parliamentary space,” he told the Tagesspiegel.
It is crucial for a stable government to have the real trust of Parliament and thus a majority of MPs behind you. Therefore, it is “one of the leadership tasks of parliamentary group leaders, also against the background of the high constitutional good of the free mandate, to form a stable majority from their own ranks, which also carries in a secret election.”
The Left Co-Chairwoman Anne Helm made a similar statement. Such a change would go against the free mandate and would “partially disempower Parliament,” she said.
“Disciplining MPs by an open vote would shift power from freely elected MPs to party leadership.” Helm said it would devalue the legislature’s vote of confidence in the government.
Even the head of the AfD parliamentary group, Kristin Brinker, who triggered the current debate with her assertion, sees no reason to end the current regulation. “If secret ballots were abolished, the individual MPs would only be vicarious agents for the decisions of their leadership teams and would therefore basically be superfluous,” she explained.
