Constituency reform in Lower Saxony: Three new districts for 2027!

Constituency reform in Lower Saxony: Three new districts for 2027!

In the next few years, a lot will happen in Lower Saxony with regard to the constituencies. The governing parties SPD and Greens have put forward a proposal that would increase the number of constituencies from 87 to 90. This project follows a ruling by the Lower Saxony State Court, which states that the existing constituencies no longer correspond to the current population conditions. In this context, a reform is necessary to adapt the size of constituencies to the principle of electoral equality, such as n-tv reported.

The judgment, which was handed down by the State Court of Justice on December 16, 2024, decided that the design of the constituencies violated Article 8 of the Lower Saxony Constitution. A deviation of the constituencies of more than 15 percent compared to the average of around 69,710 eligible voters is only permitted in exceptional cases. But current population figures show that 33 of the 87 constituencies deviate significantly from this average - in some cases by over 25 percent. This will now be used as an opportunity to review new regulations by the next state election in 2027 and, if necessary, to create new constituencies.

Reorganization of constituencies

The focus of the restructuring is the northwest of Lower Saxony, where three new constituencies are to be created: Rastede/Varel, Nordhorn and Vechta-Süd. Of the 49 constituencies that are to be changed overall, Braunschweig-Süd/Peine-Ost, Duderstadt and Göttingen/Münden as well as several others are known. While 38 constituencies remain unchanged, these changes particularly affect the CDU and Green constituencies. Of the 58 SPD constituencies, 30 are affected, while all 3 Green constituencies are up for debate. The more detailed information is provided by landeswahlleiter.niedersachsen.de provided.

For example, in the Aurich constituency, which is currently 26 percent above average, the size of the constituency could be corrected by reclassifying municipalities. In total, there is a need for action for 32 constituencies, which could result in chain reactions for many other constituencies. The CDU, meanwhile, expressed concerns that the creation of new constituencies could bloat the state parliament, which would be done through overhang and compensatory mandates, explained dieniedersachsen.de.

Election forecasts and future developments

The next Lower Saxony state election is scheduled for July at the earliest and November 2027 at the latest. The SPD, which won the last election in 2022 with 33.4 percent of the vote, is already facing the challenge of adapting its constituency strategy to the new circumstances. The average number of eligible voters per constituency is currently 69,710 and the possibility of imbalances could not only influence the election numbers, but also the stability of the political landscape in Lower Saxony.

There is much to keep track of in this exciting time of change. Political parties will certainly find different approaches to dealing with the challenges and opportunities presented by the redistricting process. Given the upcoming elections, it will be exciting to see how the political forces in Lower Saxony will be composed.