Local electoral law (Thuringia)
The local elections in Thuringia regulates the local elections in Thuringia . The subject matter is the elections of the municipal councils and district assemblies as well as the direct election of the mayors and district administrators .
Laws and Regulations
The basic legal sources of local law in Thuringia are the Constitution of the Free State of Thuringia , the Thuringian Local Authority (ThürKO), the Thuringian Law on Elections in Districts and Municipalities (ThürKWG) and the Thuringian Local Electoral Code (ThürKWO).
Community councils and district assemblies
The municipal councils and district assemblies are elected by proportional representation. Elective areas should have a maximum of 5,000 inhabitants. Nominations can parties , voter groups or individuals who even as an individual candidate, a candidate to make. They are each set up for an elective area.
The right to vote has any EU citizens who reached the age of 16 and at least 3 months his main residence was in the electoral area. Every eligible voter has three votes, which he can cumulate or variegate . Selectable is every voter who has reached the age of 18 and for at least three months has his main residence in the electoral area.
On the basis of a ruling by the Thuringian Constitutional Court on April 11, 2008, the five percent hurdle for parties and groups of voters that had previously been in force was reviewed and removed by the legislature.
The electoral term lasts five years. The mandates are distributed according to the quota procedure with residual settlement according to the Hare-Niemeyer procedure . Depending on the number of inhabitants in the community, 6 to 53 community representatives are elected.
| Residents | Community representatives |
|---|---|
| up to 500 | 6th |
| 501 to 1,000 | 8th |
| 1,001 to 2,000 | 12 |
| 2,001 to 3,000 | 14th |
| 3,001 to 5,000 | 16 |
| 5,001 to 10,000 | 20th |
| 10,001 to 20,000 | 24 |
| 20,001 to 30,000 | 30th |
| 30,001 to 50,000 | 36 |
| 50,001 to 100,000 | 42 |
| 100,001 to 200,000 | 46 |
| over 200,000 | 50 |
Direct election of mayors and district administrators
The mayors and district administrators are directly elected. There is a Lord Mayor in independent cities and larger cities belonging to the district . The term of office in full-time administered municipalities is at least six years. The election takes place independently of the election of the municipal council. The directly elected mayor can only be recalled by a referendum . To initiate the voting procedure, a resolution by two thirds of the members of the municipal council is required.
The right to vote corresponds to that in municipal council and district council elections. Mayors and district administrators must be at least 21 years old and must not have reached the age of 65 at the time of the election. In addition, the other requirements for appointment as a civil servant for a limited period under the state laws for Thuringian civil servants must be met.
In a first ballot, the candidates for election as mayor or district administrator need an absolute majority of the valid votes. If no candidate has the necessary majority in the first ballot, a runoff election of the two applicants with the most votes will take place on the second Sunday after the election . If one of the applicants admitted to the runoff election does not participate in the election, the applicant with the next highest number of votes will take his place.
