Snap election

Early elections are elections after the dissolution of Parliament and the premature termination of the legislature.

Germany

Legal framework

The Basic Law provides for two possibilities that can lead to early elections. According to Article 68, Section 1 of the Federal President may dissolve the Bundestag upon the proposal of the Federal Chancellor within 21 days, provided it has no majority in parliament found in a vote of confidence. In the case of a successful constructive vote of no confidence, the right to dissolve the Bundestag goes out. If a Chancellor in accordance with Article 63, paragraph 4 with a relative, but not elected by absolute majority of the members of the Bundestag, the Federal President may dissolve the Bundestag also. A self-dissolution rights of the Bundestag does not exist, but is discussed. Raises the President of the Bundestag, the latter must take place 1 new elections within 60 days pursuant to Article 39 para.

Is At the state level, unlike at the federal level, the possibility of self- dissolution of Parliament widespread. Thus, the Hessian state parliament dissolved on 19 November 2008 and thus enabled the election on 18 January 2009. For early elections, a decision of the Parliament, the President of Parliament or the Prime Minister is required to dissolve the Landtag and premature termination of the election period. The state election in Schleswig -Holstein on May 6, 2012, required after termination of the legislature by the State Constitutional Court of 30 August 2010.

History

The first early Bundestag election in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany was the federal election in 1972. Was preceded by a constructive vote of no confidence against Willy Brandt in April 1972, in which Rainer Barzel (CDU ) should be elected chancellor. It failed because of two missing votes. It was at least the voice against Barzel Julius Steiner ( CDU) by the Ministry for State Security ( Stasi) was purchased ( Steiner- Wienand affair). Despite the successful vote, the coalition had no majority capable of acting more so German President Gustav Heinemann after a negative answered confidence Brandt dissolved the Bundestag.

In 1982, the FDP broke up in the middle of the legislature from the social-liberal coalition to form a government with the CDU. Helmut Kohl was elected Chancellor. A new election of the Bundestag should legitimize the new coalition. The coalition elected the failed vote of confidence to bring about the election. About the trust question, the Parliament voted on 17 December 1982. Although only on the day of the joint federal budget for 1983 had been decided previously, the Parliament did not speak to the Chancellor of the trust. After fierce debate on the constitutionality of this procedure, the Federal President Karl Carstens decided to order the dissolution of parliament and new elections to tender for March 6 1983. The parliamentary elections of March 6 In 1983, the CDU / CSU clearly decide for the FDP remained despite intra-party clashes and heavy losses coalition partners.

Immediately after the election defeat of the SPD in the state election in North Rhine -Westphalia in 2005 the federal and Group Chairman Franz Müntefering announced a new election. He justified this by saying that the confidence of the population was no longer detectable in the red- green government. Chancellor Gerhard Schröder addressed the question of confidence in the parliament, which deprived him of the vote from 1 July 2005 the trust. Then the Chancellor Federal President Horst Köhler suggested the dissolution of the Bundestag. This sparked on 21 July 2005 to the 15th German Bundestag and ordered a new election. The constitutionality of this procedure was as in 1982 in question, but was confirmed by the Federal Constitutional Court as unconstitutional. In the 2005 federal election on 18 September 2005, the red-green coalition lost its majority.

Examples of early elections at the state level, the state elections in Hamburg in December 1982, 1987, 1993, 2004 and 2011, the election of the City Council of Greater Berlin in 1948, the elections for the Berlin House of Representatives in 1950, 1981, 1990 and 2001, and the state election in Hesse 2009th the state election in Schleswig- Holstein in 2012 was the second early elections in a row, after it was already resolved for the state election in 2009 due to a vote of confidence of the Prime Minister of the Parliament before the normal expiration of its term. The state election in 1988 was an early election, which was necessary due to the Barschel affair.

Early elections in other countries

In many countries there is a self-dissolution of Parliament's right.

In the UK, the Prime Minister has the right at any time to ask the monarch to a premature dissolution of Parliament. In the British tradition, the government has the opportunity to put the election at the time of her looks the most promising. The " hung parliament " in the British general election in February 1974 led to new elections.

In 2011 it came to early elections in Portugal and Latvia, in February 2012 in Greece. In the wake of the scandal over the secret SREL has Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean -Claude Juncker announced on July 10, 2013, he was going on [ date ] July 11th Grand Duke Henri suggest early elections a vote of no confidence by the Parliament which had the dissolution of the government result would have to be prevented.