Udo Di Fabio challenges Berlin's proposed voting rights for foreigners

Former Federal Constitutional Court judge Udo Di Fabio has declared that the plan to extend voting rights to foreigners at the state level in Berlin is unconstitutional. The proposal, outlined in exploratory talks between the SPD, Greens, and Left Party, seeks to grant both active and passive voting rights to all foreigners residing in Germany for at least five years.

Di Fabio clarified that while voting rights for non-citizens can be introduced at the municipal level, they cannot be extended to state-level elections. He argued that state-level elections involve the participation of 'the German people,' which requires German citizenship.

Implementing such a change would require amendments to both the Berlin state constitution and the German Basic Law, necessitating a two-thirds majority in parliament. Political opponents, including the CDU and AfD, have already voiced strong opposition to the measure.