Articles for tag: Voting Age, Wahlrecht, youth participation, Youth Rights

Make It Consistent

In New Zealand, as in many jurisdictions, the law specifies certain minimum age limits for acts such as getting married (16 years), enlisting in the armed forces (17 years), purchasing alcohol (18 years), entering contracts (18 years) and so on. One particular age limit, that relating to voting (18 years), has recently come under scrutiny as a result of the advocacy efforts of Make It 16, a group campaigning for the extension of the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds in New Zealand. As part of its campaign, Make It 16 commenced litigation, which eventually culminated in the New Zealand Supreme Court declaring in Make It 16 v Attorney-General that the legislated minimum voting age was inconsistent with the right to be free from discrimination, and that the inconsistency had not been justified.

6. Dezember 2022

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Putting an End to Minority Voter Disenfranchising in Hungary

On 11 November, the European Court of Human Rights published its decision in a case initiated eight years ago, which found that the Hungarian parliamentary electoral system's regulations on the representation of national minorities in parliament violates the right to free elections (Article 3 of the 1st Protocol to the ECHR, Bakirdzi and E.C. v. Hungary). The plaintiffs claimed that the Electoral Act of 2011 was unlawful on three points: the secrecy of the vote, the real election and the preferential quota for minority representation. In its judgment, the Court found in favour of the applicants on all three points and ordered the Hungarian State to pay damages, putting an end to a decade-long violation of voting right. The following analysis is not primarily intended to provide a detailed description of the judgment itself, but to review the unlawful situation and the necessary actions resulting from the judgment.

5. Dezember 2022

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Merkwürdiges und Bedenkenswertes bei der Wahlprüfung in Berlin

Die Wahlen zum Deutschen Bundestag im September 2021 wurden in Berlin zusammen mit Wahlen zum dortigen Abgeordnetenhaus und den Bezirksvertreterversammlungen durchgeführt, obendrein noch mit einem Volksentscheid gekoppelt. Das Wahlgeschehen war bekanntlich von erheblichen Pannen begleitet, das Wort „Chaos“ wird regelmäßig zur Beschreibung der damaligen Zustände in den Wahllokalen benutzt. Aber auch das ergangene Urteil und seine Begründung werfen etliche Fragen auf.

25. November 2022

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Sie dürfen wählen, sie dürfen nicht, sie dürfen wählen…

Die vergangene Woche war zweifellos eine gute Woche für alle Verfechter:innen von Absenkungen des Wahlalters: Der Landtag in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern hat mit den Stimmen von SPD, Linken, Grünen und FDP (und gegen die Stimmen von CDU und AfD) beschlossen, dass 16- und 17-Jährige dort künftig auch bei Landtagswahlen wahlberechtigt sein werden, was sie bei dortigen Kommunalwahlen ohnehin schon sind. Ob diese Reformwoche auch für die betroffenen jungen Menschen eine gute Woche war, ist dagegen eine ganz andere Frage.

19. November 2022

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Über Wahlfehlerfolgen

Für die Wählerinnen und Wähler ist der Wahltag ein Feiertag, der sich nur alle paar Jahre wiederholt. In unserer repräsentativ organisierten Demokratie ist die Stimmabgabe, abgesehen von seltenen Plebisziten, der einzige Moment, in dem das Volk als Träger der Staatsgewalt diese auch selbst ausübt. Daher ist es von größter Bedeutung, dass bei Wahlen alles mit rechten Dingen zugeht – zumal in Zeiten, in denen teilweise gezielt gestreut wird, dass dies nicht der Fall war.

17. November 2022

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Cutting the Gordian Knot in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Just after the polling stations on October 2, 2022, in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) had closed, High Representative Christian Schmidt dropped a bombshell when he imposed changes to the Election Law of BiH as well as 21 amendments to the Constitution of the Federation of BiH. It was the second decision of the High Representative regarding this year’s elections in BiH. Their recent impact to change the BiH Election Law on the evening of the elections as well as constitutional amendments raises the question of the sustainability of this complex post-conflict arrangement in BiH. Was the quick fix by the High Representative necessary, useful and justified?

7. Oktober 2022

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A Parliament Shaped by the ›Worst Election Law Ever‹

The campaign for the next Italian general election, scheduled for 25 September, is getting into full swing. In the first half of August, party leaders, especially in the left-of-centre political spectrum, entered into negotiations to decide whether or not to make alliances and form coalitions with other parties; by now, the political offer is clearly defined. A decisive factor during these negotiations were the formal and informal constraints set by the current electoral law, also known as Rosato law or Rosatellum. Some of the defining features of the Rosatellum were heavily criticised, and an ever-recurring refrain in centre-left circles and ... continue reading

31. August 2022

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Is Ethnic Gerrymandering a Solution for the Constitutional Impasse?

Christian Schmidt, the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, had a fit of temper last week. After the draft of the HR's “Decision Enacting the Law on Amendments to the Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina” had been leaked to the public, there had been mass demonstrations. What were the reasons and what is the legal and political background for his outrage?

23. August 2022

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