Germany's left-wing BSW party considers challenging Sunday's election results

BERLIN

Germany’s left-wing BSW party is considering challenging Sunday’s election results due to reported problems faced by German voters abroad, its leaders said on Monday.

Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, BSW’s leader, Sahra Wagenknecht, said around 230,000 Germans living abroad registered to vote for the election. However, many failed to receive their postal voting documents in time.

“If a party is excluded from the parliament because it lacks 13,400 votes and a relevant number of people were unable to participate in this election and could not exercise their right to vote, the question arises as to the legal validity of the election result,” Wagenknecht said.

She said the election committee has not yet released the exact numbers of German citizens abroad who were unable to vote, noting that some legal experts believe that the election results could be challenged, and the party is consulting with lawyers about possible legal action.

Sunday's election was won by opposition leader Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) with 28.5% of the vote, though the conservative alliance fell short of the absolute majority needed to govern alone.

The left-wing BSW's failure to enter parliament, missing nearly 13,400 votes to pass the 5% threshold, cleared the way for the Christian Democrats to pursue a potential coalition with the Social Democratic Party. Together, they would be able to command 328 seats in the Bundestag—well above the 316 deputies needed for a majority.