Ongoing referendums: State returning officer publishes interim results

Poster for the "Berlin advertising-free" referendum. (Archive image)

Halfway through the signature collection phase, which began in January, the initiators of the two Berlin referendums have only gathered a small portion of the required signatures after two months. 

20,800 signatures submitted for "Berlin car-free"

The "Berlin autofrei" alliance, which aims to ban cars from the city center to a large extent, has so far submitted 20,800 signatures to the state election office, according to the authority. In addition, there are signatures that were submitted directly to the districts. Berlin's district election offices have already verified 10,523 signatures, 9,121 (86.7 percent) of which are valid.

"Berlin Ad-Free Referendum" submits 5,675 signatures

The initiative "Volksbegehren Berlin werbefrei" (Berlin Advertising-Free Referendum), which calls for restrictions on outdoor advertising, has so far submitted 5,675 signatures to the state election office. In addition, there is an unknown number of signatures that were submitted directly to the districts. Of the 3,442 signatures verified so far, 3,009 (87.4 percent) are valid.

174,000 signatures required in each case

Both referendums were launched on January 9. In order to trigger a referendum, both initiatives must collect signatures from at least seven percent of Berlin's eligible voters within four months, i.e., by May 8. That currently amounts to around 174,000 people. If they succeed, a referendum will follow, in which the respective draft law will be voted on as in an election. The law would come into force if a majority of voters and at least a quarter of all eligible voters approve it. The date for the referendums could be September 20, the day of the Berlin House of Representatives election.