New German draft law could give non-EU nationals the vote in local elections

A new plan by the German coalition government could see non-EU nationals enfranchised at a municipal level and an increase in the number of public administration employees with a migrant background.

German government announces plan for Federal Participation Act

Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) has announced that the German coalition government will put forward a new draft law, the Federal Participation Act.

The Federal Participation Act would allow non-EU nationals with a German residence permit to vote in elections at a local level. Currently, only German citizens and EU nationals can vote in municipal elections in Germany.

According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, the Act would be based on a draft law which was first proposed in 2013 by representatives of the Turkish community in Germany and was further developed by the Federal Conference of Migrant Organisations (BKMO).

The BKMO plan aims to promote “integration through a general, municipal right to vote, educational measures and incentives to acquire citizenship”. 

The SPD parliamentary group has said it will now use the BKMO outline to draft a new law before Christmas. Since the Act would amend the German Basic Law (Grundgesetz) it would face multiple voting rounds in the Bundestag and Bundesrat.

German coalition government wants to diversify public admin workforce

As part of the Act, the German government also wants to increase the number of people with a migration background who work in public administration. More than a quarter of the German population has a migration background, but this is not currently reflected in the demographics of those working in public administration.

Since a draft law is yet to be drawn up, it is still unclear how the Act would make sure more people with a migration background were hired in such roles, but responding to a question from The Local, the Federal Interior Ministry (BMI) said that the law would not contain a statutory quota.

“In all considerations of a participation law it goes without saying that the Federal Ministry of the Interior will observe the priority of suitability, competence and professional performance in accordance with Article 33 (2) of the Basic Law in regulations on personnel recruitment and personnel development at all levels," the BMI told the website.

Similar laws to improve workplace integration and participation for people with migration backgrounds have already been adopted at local and regional levels in Germany, including in Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg.

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