A Forsa poll commissioned by Stern reveals that 64 percent of Germans oppose reorganizing the 16 federal states. Bavaria's Minister President Markus Söder proposed merging smaller states last week, arguing they are barely viable and rely on financial support from larger ones like Bavaria.
The poll found that 30 percent support a merger, while six percent had no opinion. Even in Bavaria, 67 percent of residents oppose the proposal. Similar results appear in other populous states: 61 percent in North Rhine-Westphalia and 69 percent in Baden-Württemberg are against it. Residents of smaller states with fewer than four million inhabitants reject the idea by 65 percent. There are hardly any differences between West and East Germany: 64 percent in the West and 65 percent in the East oppose a merger.
Söder argued that larger units are more successful than small ones, so there should be "fewer federal states, plain and simple." He did not name specific states for consolidation. In November, he criticized the federal financial equalization system: Berlin has received over 94 billion euros since 1995 without contributing anything. Only four states pay into the system, with Bavaria covering 60 percent alone. The Basic Law requires balancing the varying financial capacities among the states.
The widespread rejection highlights the strong attachment to Germany's existing federal structure.
