Die mündliche Erklärung zur Abstimmung gemäß § 31 Absatz 1 GOBT – eine parlamentarische Wundertüte mit Potenzial?

Abstract

According to the Rules of Procedure of the German Bundestag (”GOBT”), every Member of Parliament is granted a five minutes’ verbal explanation of vote . It is granted for nearly every kind of vote in the House . The verbal explanation is often considered a privilege to MPs going against the position taken by their group . Yet, it is also used to confirm the party position and it is abused to continue already closed debates . In either case, they can be a grab bag for both parliament’s plenum and its president; the verbal explanation’s content is only revealed when the explanation is given . A quantitative and qualitative analysis of the explanations given in the Bundestag shows that explanations from dissenters contribute quantitatively, but not to a large extent . While members of the coalition more often declare to go against their parliamentary party group, members of the opposition tend to confirm the line of their respective party . When used to reveal personal implications in the decision‑making process, the verbal explanation is meaningful and widely accepted .