Constitutional court: must participate in Supervised on the European elections News

for Many years, supervised people of the elections were excluded. Just six weeks before the European elections, the Federal constitutional court to open the Affected door. The administrations of a lot of work to do now.

By Gigi Deppe, ARD-right-editorial

Peter Benz höfer of the life-aid in the state of Baden-Württemberg was one of the few who sat in the courtroom in a wheelchair. He had pre-the hope that the European election for all the people opens with disability. "Then I walk out smiling and say: We have once again, little." And so it was then.

80,000

announced its decision only in the Tenor. A statement of the reasons it was not, but The 80,000 people with disabilities and offenders who are housed, due to inability in a psychiatric hospital - all of which had previously been excluded from many of the elections, may now participate, but in the European elections at the end of may. In any case, if you make a request, or against the voters ' register objection to raise.

the end of January, had decided the Federal constitutional court for the election to the Bundestag that these groups of voters may no longer be a flat rate of excluded. For the European elections at the end of may, the Bundestag had not done, however, the required change in the law. From 1. July a new electoral law, the elections should be open.

will that be Enough time?

That the constitutional judges would also open the European elections, it emerged during the hearing in the afternoon. Because you asked again and again, as the representative of the Federal government said, for the European choice, the more.

Ansgar Heveling, legal counsel of the CDU group in the Bundestag, said, for example, Opening up the choice was no longer get added to this for practical reasons. "It must be followed up in the future, manually, which is the right to vote to the exclusion of, and which no longer exists, where appropriate. The practice will be difficult," he said.

The green Bundestag Deputy Britta Haßelmann countered: "I think that there is a large performance for many, many municipal is employed in the administrations, in the land administrations. But this administrative burden may be from our view not an Argument to deny people civil rights."

The Constitution judges had consulted extensively with the Federal returning officer and the Election officers from various States. The response was in nearly all the same. They were more optimistic: A participation is not feasible. Per voter for approximately four minutes of work were necessary, calculated, for example, the supervisor of elections of North Rhine-Westphalia.

"a fundamental right"

The Opening is not completely impossible if the implementation will also for the individual communities due to the Easter holidays and bridge days, and due to the lack of staff, some are difficult. Well possible that it was this information, ultimately, have spurred the judge's decision.

Benzenhöfer, as a representative of one of the few people with a disability in the court room, was, in fact, highly satisfied: "For each, the possibility should be created, that he can choose. Choose is a fundamental right, and it is in the basic law, that no man should be discriminated against because of his disability."

Why you decided the judge so that you will tell in the future. Listen: All preparing for the European elections, will have to take heed of this judgment.

people with care allowed to participate in European elections, 15.04.2019 Must Supervised at the EU election vote?, 15.04.2019 Atlas |Germany |Karlsruhe