Despite these forecast savings, the reform plans presented by the traffic light coalition are “unambitious”, criticized Taxpayers’ Association President Reiner Holznagel. Parliament would continue to be “much too big and would generate unnecessarily high costs”.

“A real electoral law reform should end with 598 MPs, as the current electoral law provides,” said Holznagel. For efficient parliamentary work, even 500 MPs are perfectly sufficient.

The Bundestag will vote on the controversial electoral law reform on Friday. The draft law of the traffic light coalition is intended to ensure that the number of MPs is limited to 630. In addition, the second vote should be given more importance – constituency winners may not get a seat in the Bundestag. The Union and the left consider the project to be unconstitutional. Parliament currently has 736 members.