A proposal by Germany’s interior minister to change the voting system in parliament’s upper house sparked a storm of protest on Monday, in what could be the prelude to a broader debate about the ability of Germany’s institutions to cope with the fragmentation of its political landscape.

Wolfgang Schäuble, a Christian Democrat, suggested the Bundesrat, which represents Germany’s 16 regional governments, should stop counting abstentions as rejections when voting on bills, making it easier for draft legislation to obtain a majority.