Zum Sozialprofil der deutschen Abgeordneten nach der Wahl zum Europäischen Parlament 2014. (German)

The election to the European Parliament (EP) in Germany was not only influenced by the successful appearance of the Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD), a right-wing populist and euro-sceptical party. It was also influenced by the modification of the electoral law, which was induced by Federal Constitutional Court rulings. The Constitutional Court removed the former five-percent and even a three-percent electoral threshold as being unconstitutional. Not six parties as in the previous parliamentary term, but fourteen are now represented in the 8th EP with seven of them being represented by only one delegate. This development raises the question whether and in what way newcomer parties impact the social profile of the German MEPs as a whole. Are there any significant changes in age pattern, educational background, gender proportion, and previous parliamentary or governmental experiences? How were the nominadons of new candidates inside the established parties effected? It is not the MEPs of the newcomer parties to the EP that show relevant differences in their social profile compared with all MEPs. The changes are indirect and can be found within the established parties: e.g. the exchange of MEPs stagnated or decreased, the average age of the MEPs increased and within the MEPs of the CDU the rate of female delegates declined. Nevertheless, changes are not to be found in respect to the social profiles of the MEPs, instead they will be reflected in the political sphere, which is impacted by the modified electoral law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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