Direct democracy in Berlin explained

The state of Berlin has three instruments of direct democracy. These enable German citizen residents to directly influence policy, in addition to indirect democracy via elected officials in the House of Representatives. In addition, there are two instruments at the borough level.

Types

The three direct democracy instruments at the Berlin state level are:

In addition to these instruments for direct democracy at the city-state level, there are two instruments at the lower, borough, level:

History of the framework of direct democracy in Berlin

In 2020, the Berlin government started a reform that would make it easier to organise petitions and referendums at both the Berlin and borough levels.[8]

Past Berlin-wide initiatives

Past agenda initiatives

Democracy for All (2022)

The agenda initiative "Democracy for All" was a petition passed in 2022 with three demands. Firstly, it asked for a reduction of the voting age from 18 to 16 for Berlin House of Representatives elections and referendums. Secondly, the petition set out that non-German citizens could vote after living in Germany for three years. For this purpose, the petition asked the House of Representatives to request a Bundesrat initiative from the Berlin Senate, which represents Berlin in the Bundesrat. The initiative would give full active and passive voting rights for elections to municipal councils, state legislatures (including the Berlin House of Representatives), to the Bundestag and to the European Parliament. Thirdly, the initiative demanded that Berlin agenda initiatives and referendums could be initiated and signed digitally.[9] [10]

As a result of the agenda initiative, in December 2022 the Berlin House of Representatives passed a motion to implement parts of the agenda initiative. Under the motion, the first of the three demands (voting from 16 years on) would be met, and foreigners would be allowed to vote after five years of residency instead of three. However, the motion passed under a red-green-red coalition government and set out its implementation only after the 2023 re-run of the Berlin elections.[11] [12]

Past referendums

Referendum to make Berlin climate-neutral by 2030 (2023)

Results of past referendums by borough[13] !Nr!Borough!Keep Tempelhof airport open (2008)!(2009)!Water contract transparency (2011)!Re-municipalise energy grids (2013)!KeepTempelhofer Feld empty (2014)!Keep Tegel airport open(2017)! Municipalise housing
(2021)
1Mitte58.4 %44.8 %97.8 %87.1 %65.2 %54.7 %63.7 %
2Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg39.2 %25.8 %98.2 %92.9 %77.0 %44.9 %72.4 %
3Pankow34.0 %28.7 %98.4 %88.1 %62.5 %43.0 %60.8 %
4Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf71.6 %60.3 %98.4 %80.2 %60.7 %68.3 %50.1 %
5Spandau75.8 %69.2 %97.9 %75.7 %59.0 %57.1 %51.9 %
6Steglitz-Zehlendorf73.8 %66.3 %98.2 %75.6 %61.2 %66.5 %44.0 %
7Tempelhof-Schöneberg70.1 %60.9 %98.2 %81.2 %69.4 %62.5 %53.4 %
8Neukölln74.1 %61.8 %97.8 %84.3 %74.4 %58.9 %60.7 %
9Treptow-Köpenick44.3 %26.1 %98.4 %85.6 %63.8 %58.6 %58.5 %
10Marzahn-Hellersdorf33.4 %22.8 %98.3 %82.5 %57.5 %52.4 %55.8 %
11Lichtenberg30.4 %21.3 %97.8 %84.6 %60.0 %47.7 %60.9 %
12Reinickendorf77.0 %69.1 %98.2 %73.3 %55.5 %63.8 %45.1 %
13 Berlin (total)60.1 %48.4 %98.2 %83.0 %64.3 %56.4 %57.6 %
13ResultFailed quoracy[14] Failed[15] Passed[16] Failed quoracy[17] Passed[18] Passed but overridden by state[19] Passed[20]

Legend: Percentages indicate the share of 'yes' voters in the referendums.
Colours of the borough numbers:

former West Berlin, former East Berlin, contains former East and West territories

Past borough-level initiatives

Mitte

In 2008, a Mitte citizens' decision against parking charges failed to achieve quoracy.[21]

Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg

In 2008, the "Spreeufer für alle!" (Spree riverfront for all!) citizens' decision passed with 87% 'yes' votes. It asked the borough of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg to block construction on the banks of the Spree river by the Mediaspree project. Five years later, the borough government was criticised for implementing it only partially.

In 2016, a citizens' decision to block a costly refurbishment of the Landwehr Canal's Fraenkelufer failed to achieve quoracy.[22]

Tempelhof-Schöneberg

In 2009, a citizens' decision passed in the borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg to award monument protection to the former Tempelhof Airport, which had been shut in 2008.[23] [24] This was followed by a Berlin-wide referendum in 2014, the .

Treptow-Köpenick

In 2014, a citizens' decision kept parking in the Treptow-Köpenick borough free of charge.[25]

Reinickendorf

See also

External links

References

  1. Web site: 2017-01-05 . Volksinitiative . 2023-02-23 . www.berlin.de . de.
  2. Web site: Berlin, Germany, regional Agenda (setting) initiative [PAX] - Volksinitiative - Navigator ]. 2023-02-23 . www.direct-democracy-navigator.org.
  3. Web site: 2021-02-04 . Volksbegehren und Volksentscheid . 2023-02-23 . www.berlin.de . de.
  4. Web site: 2013-05-14 . Section V: Legislation . 2023-02-23 . www.berlin.de . en.
  5. Web site: Berlin, Germany, local Agenda (setting) initiative [PAX] - Einwohnerantrag - Navigator ]. 2023-02-23 . www.direct-democracy-navigator.org.
  6. Web site: Berlin, Germany, local Popular or citizens initiative and authorities counter-proposal [PCI+] - Bürgerbegehren - Navigator ]. 2023-02-23 . www.direct-democracy-navigator.org.
  7. Web site: 2022-05-25 . Einwohnerantrag, Bürgerbegehren, Bürgerentscheid . 2023-02-23 . www.berlin.de . de.
  8. News: Schnellere Prüfung von Volksbegehren: Rot-Rot-Grün will direkte Demokratie in Berlin erleichtern . de-DE . Der Tagesspiegel Online . 2023-03-02 . 1865-2263.
  9. Web site: Volksinitiative "Demokratie für Alle!" übergibt Unterschriften . 2023-03-02 . Abgeordnetenhaus Berlin . de.
  10. News: Prößer . Claudius . 2022-03-09 . Volksinitiative "Demokratie für Alle": "Das ist machbar" . de . Die Tageszeitung: taz . 2023-03-02 . 0931-9085.
  11. News: "Wir sind stummgeschaltet": 23 Prozent der volljährigen Berliner dürfen am Sonntag nicht wählen . de-DE . Der Tagesspiegel Online . 2023-03-02 . 1865-2263.
  12. Web site: Abgeordnetenhaus will Kreis der Wahlberechtigten ausweiten . 2023-03-02 . www.rbb24.de . de.
  13. Web site: Berliner Wahlergebnisse - Historie - Ergebnistabelle . 2023-02-23 . Amt für Statistik Berlin-Brandenburg.
  14. News: Fahey . Ciarán . 2015-03-05 . How Berliners refused to give Tempelhof airport over to developers . en-GB . The Guardian . 2023-02-23 . 0261-3077.
  15. News: Trenkamp . Oliver . Wiemann . Esther . Göbel . Malte . 2009-04-26 . Volksentscheid in Berlin: Doppelte Pleite für "Pro Reli" . de . Der Spiegel . 2023-02-23 . 2195-1349.
  16. Web site: 2011-02-14 . Berlin Water: Successful Referendum . 2023-02-23 . keimform.de . de-DE.
  17. News: 2013-11-04 . Berlin energy grid nationalisation fails in referendum . en-GB . BBC News . 2023-02-23.
  18. News: Berliners hail Tempelhof referendum win . en-US . The Local Germany . 2023-02-23.
  19. Web site: 2017-10-26 . Bund will an Tegel-Schließung nicht rütteln . 2023-02-23 . aero.de . de.
  20. Web site: Berliners vote 'yes' on property expropriation – DW – 09/27/2021 . 2023-02-23 . dw.com . en.
  21. News: Parkraum: Bürgerentscheid in Mitte ist gescheitert . de-DE . Der Tagesspiegel Online . 2023-03-02 . 1865-2263.
  22. News: Berlin Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg: Bürgerentscheid zum Fraenkelufer gescheitert . de-DE . Der Tagesspiegel Online . 2023-03-02 . 1865-2263.
  23. Web site: Berlin . Berliner Morgenpost- . 2009-03-24 . Erster Bürgerentscheid in Tempelhof-Schöneberg . 2023-03-02 . www.morgenpost.de . de-DE.
  24. News: Neue Abstimmung: Bürgerentscheid zu Tempelhof erfolgreich . de-DE . Der Tagesspiegel Online . 2023-03-02 . 1865-2263.
  25. News: Bürgerentscheid erfolgreich: Parken in Treptow-Köpenick bleibt gratis . de-DE . Der Tagesspiegel Online . 2023-03-02 . 1865-2263.

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