Between proportional and majority voting – the German electoral system in need of reform

In this paper Professor Dr Ulrich Karpen (University of Hamburg Law School) deals with the current problems, traditions, philosophies, interests and constitutional adjudication of the German electoral system between proportional and majority voting (first past the post). He analyses the intertwined topics in four sections: 1. A brief description of the German political system. 2. An explanation of the specifics of the German electoral system. 3. Some additional details of German electoral law. 4. The need for reform, and where does the German electoral system go from where it is now?