State elections: Parties on citizens' assemblies

Elections were held in the German states of Saxony and Thuringia on 1 September 2024. Brandenburg followed on 22 September. The parties‘ love for citizens’ assemblies varies greatly depending on the federal state and political colour.

In Brandenburg, all parties apart from the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) have responded to the election test stones of the ‘Mehr Demokratie’ association. The Left and the Greens, for example, want to use randomly selected mini-publics. The Greens want to ‘establish participation formats such as citizens’ assemblies’. For the Left, mini-publics can “usefully complement our direct and representative pillars of democracy in certain future-oriented tasks and create a balance”. This applies at both municipal and state level.

'Citizens’ assemblies have have proven their worth'

The list association ‘Plus Brandenburg’, consisting of the ÖDP, Pirates and Volt, says: ‘Sortition-based citizens’ assemblies have have proven their worth at local and national level by promoting a balanced and fact-based discourse. Experience shows that they shed light on complex issues from different perspectives and provide valuable recommendations for politicians and administrators. Extending this to state level could reinforce these positive effects and promote a broader consensus on important issues.

Following the federal citizens‘ assembly “Nutrition in Transition” in Germany, the SPD wants to “examine the extent to which trialling lot-based citizens” assemblies can also be useful for Brandenburg at state level’. The ‘BVB / Freie Wähler’ voter community at least does not want to stand in the way of trialling mini-publics and will carefully evaluate the results.

‘No need for parallel structures’

Other parties are sceptical. The CDU believes that a trial at state level is ‘not necessary because the advantages and deficits are well known. The usefulness of citizens' assemblies is questioned above all because the often assumed acceptance-enhancing effect usually fails to materialise and it is a special form of “expertocracy” that is questionable from a democratic point of view.

For the FDP, the Brandenburg state parliament is already ‘a democratically legitimised citizens’ assembly. We see no need for parallel structures,’ said the Liberals.

The other parties running in the state elections in Brandenburg do not make any statements on mini-publics in their election programmes.

Mini-publics hardly an issue in Saxony and Thuringia

In Saxony and Thuringia, the parties are largely silent on citizens' assemblies. In Saxony, the SPD mentions mini-publics in a list of democratic instruments such as citizens’ budgets and referendums, which the party considers useful. The party ‘Die Basis’ wants ‘all people to have the opportunity (...) to participate in a decision-making process. Citizens' assemblies would allow people to be actively involved in the political process again. ‘The results of the citizens‘ assemblies (...) should become binding for the next higher level, which is then responsible for implementation’.

In Thuringia, the Greens promise to set up citizens' assemblies.