The People Power Party is demanding a halt to vote counting and a postponement of the election in Seoul due to a ballot shortage at some polling stations during the June 3 local elections. Song Eon-seok, the party's floor leader, highlighted the situation by referencing the re-election case in Berlin, Germany.
During a press conference at the party's headquarters in Yeouido, Song stated, "In last year's Berlin local elections, the German Constitutional Court declared the elections invalid and ordered a re-vote due to the election authorities' overall mismanagement that hindered the exercise of voting rights and distorted the election results."
However, there are some confusions regarding the timing, judgment authority, and type of election mentioned. The case Song referred to occurred on September 26, 2021, in Berlin, where significant mismanagement led to the need for a re-election.
On that day, the federal elections, Berlin state elections, elections for 12 district councils, and a referendum were all held simultaneously. The overlap with the Berlin Marathon caused major disruptions in polling operations. Some polling stations ran out of ballots, distributed incorrect ballots, and voters faced long wait times. In some locations, voting continued past the official closing time of 6 PM.
It is important to note that the authority that ordered the re-run of the Berlin local elections was not the German Federal Constitutional Court but the Berlin State Constitutional Court. On November 16, 2022, the court ruled that the elections for the 19th Berlin State Assembly and the 12 district councils held in September 2021 were entirely invalid. The court found that the errors in the preparation and conduct of the elections were widespread and significant, making it impossible to restore constitutional electoral principles through partial re-voting.
The Berlin State Constitutional Court determined that there were issues in the election preparation itself, leading to additional errors on election day. The court identified key problems such as the distribution of incorrect ballots, ballot shortages, temporary closures of polling stations, long wait times, and extensive voting after the 6 PM deadline. It also concluded that thousands of voters were unable to vote, cast invalid votes, or voted under excessive conditions.
As a result, the Berlin state assembly and district council elections were re-held on February 12, 2023. The re-election saw the Christian Democratic Union emerge as the leading party, subsequently altering the governance structure in Berlin.
The ruling by the German Federal Constitutional Court is a separate matter. On December 19, 2023, it ordered a re-vote in 455 out of 2,256 polling stations in Berlin related to the 2021 federal elections. This decision did not invalidate the entire Berlin local election but mandated partial re-voting in certain areas for the federal elections.
In summary, the complete re-run of the Berlin local elections was ordered by the Berlin State Constitutional Court, while the German Federal Constitutional Court's ruling pertained to partial re-voting in the federal elections. Song's reference to the "complete invalidation of the Berlin local elections by the German Constitutional Court" appears to conflate the two separate proceedings.
Currently, it is difficult to equate the ballot shortage situation in South Korea with the Berlin case. The Berlin incident involved multiple elections held on the same day, leading to a cumulative array of issues, including ballot shortages, incorrect ballot distribution, long wait times, polling station disruptions, and voting after the deadline.
Following the ballot shortage incident, Heo Cheol-hoon, Secretary General of the National Election Commission, stated, "We caused inconvenience and concern to many citizens in some areas," and expressed deep apologies for undermining the commission's credibility.
The commission confirmed the ballot shortage and dispatched additional ballots to the affected polling stations, ensuring that voters waiting on-site could cast their votes even after the official closing time.
The People Power Party is raising concerns about the ballot shortage, the process of additional ballot deliveries, and the continuation of voting after the deadline, demanding a halt to vote counting and a postponement of the election in Seoul. Meanwhile, the National Election Commission plans to proceed with the counting process as scheduled while reviewing the causes and responses to the situation.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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