Göttingen in danger: constituency reform threatens city interests!

Göttingen in danger: constituency reform threatens city interests!

Significant constituency reforms are on the agenda in Lower Saxony, which will not leave the Göttingen region untouched. The changes initiated by a ruling by the Lower Saxony State Court could have a significant impact on the university city's political voice and even endanger it. The SPD city association leader Fabian Möller said in a statement that the reform measures would be disadvantageous for Göttingen and could make it more difficult for the city to be represented in the state parliament. Möller fears that the city's interests will be less heard in Hanover, which could have a negative impact on the up-and-coming university location. This warning becomes all the more urgent as Göttingen is expected to be divided into three constituencies: The Göttingen/Stadt constituency (constituency 16) has already given over territory to the Göttingen/Münden constituency (constituency 15), and Weststadt is also to be handed over to Münden. The districts of Herberhausen and Roringen are also affected and should be assigned to the Duderstadt constituency (constituency 14). Möller makes it clear that the interests of Hann. Münden and Duderstadt do not correspond to those of the university town.

In this context, the head of the city association points to another critical point: the reform proposal lacks a regulation on parity that would ensure equal representation of women in the Lower Saxony state parliament. This could further aggravate the already worrying situation regarding the representation of the city's concerns and thus further weaken Göttingen's political voice.

Background of the reform

The Lower Saxony State Court ruled in December 2024 that the design of the constituencies was incompatible with the Lower Saxony constitution, especially with regard to the principle of electoral equality. Only by adjusting the constituencies could the interests of the voters be adequately represented. According to the decision, deviations from the average constituency size are only permitted to a certain extent. The State Court specified that only deviations of a maximum of 15 percent are permitted. Currently, 33 of 87 constituencies have deviations of more than 15 percent, and in some even more than 25 percent. This reform forces the Lower Saxony legislature to redefine the boundaries by the next regular state election, which should take place in July 2027 at the earliest and November 2027 at the latest.

The planned changes include a total of 62 constituencies that are to be redesigned. For example, two constituencies are to be created in the east of Lower Saxony, while two new constituencies are also to be created in the Weser-Ems region. Even though some constituencies are tribally close to the ideal population, they are still being redesigned to meet legal requirements.

Reform and its effects

An important aspect of this reform is the party-political neutrality of the change options. There should be no reason to worry that the reorganization will favor or disadvantage one faction. The proposals are not the only options for shaping the reform, but the devil is often in the details and implementation will be critically monitored. Among the reasons for the reform is a complaint filed by a former community director from Bösel. This shows that the political scope and possible changes can have a far-reaching influence on electoral fairness.

While the political actors in Lower Saxony are now preparing for the upcoming changes, it remains to be seen what concrete effects the reforms will have on the distribution of votes and the political landscape in the Göttingen region. In any case, the city representatives' concerns are not unfounded, because clear representation in Hanover is of crucial importance for the university city.