The factions of the traffic light coalition discussed the proposal for a new electoral law developed in their ranks in detail, sometimes well into Tuesday evening and also controversially.

So far, only the SPD parliamentary group has voted and supported the project.

The Greens and FDP had already said before the debate that they wanted to first discuss and then vote in the coming week.

Helen Bubrowski

Political correspondent in Berlin.

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Eckhart Lohse

Head of the parliamentary editorial office in Berlin.

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The draft, which should be decided by Easter, provides for a fixed limit on the size of the Bundestag to 598 MPs (currently there are 735).

Only the second vote, which will be called the main vote in the future, should be decisive for the strength of the parties.

The Social Democrats backed the draft drawn up by MPs Sebastian Hartmann (SPD), Till Steffen (Greens) and Konstantin Kuhle (FDP) with a large majority.

According to participants, almost all of the 206 members of the parliamentary group were present, eleven MPs voted against the draft and 16 abstained.

The Parliamentary Secretary of the SPD parliamentary group, Katja Mast, said on Wednesday that the debate was "respectful" but also "controversial".

As it was said, the dissenting votes came mainly from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg because the SPD won overhang mandates there, i.e. parliamentary seats that are allocated even if the result of the second vote is not sufficient.

This regulation and also that for compensatory mandates are to be abolished in the future.

The reason for the duration and intensity of the debates was that in future there would be far fewer MPs in the Bundestag and, in addition, constituencies won would no longer be assigned automatically.

The SPD faction discussed for almost two hours in the regular session and then for a similar period of time on a so-called faction-open evening.

AfD should not help to achieve a majority

The Greens and FDP also devoted hours to the topic.

No resistance from within the Greens is to be expected from their own ranks.

There are a few MPs who are unfamiliar with the proposal, but in the end a unanimous approval is likely, according to the parliamentary group leadership.

On Tuesday, the group discussed the topic for two and a half hours, which is not necessarily an expression of dissent among the Greens.

It said there were many questions.

In the end, there was agreement that it was important to demonstrate the ability to reform.

The sharp tone on the part of the CSU may have contributed to this, as did the AfD faction's announcement that it would vote for the law.

The traffic light will not want to risk the AfD helping it to gain a majority.

The FDP is the one of the three traffic light partners that is trying particularly hard to persuade the Union to support the bill.

So far, however, they have strictly rejected him, especially the CSU.