Latest news with #Brosius-Gersdorf
DW
5 days ago
- Politics
- DW
Merz defends top court nominee from 'unacceptable' attack – DW – 07/18/2025
Germany's Friedrich Merz has weighed in on a dispute causing a rift within his ruling coalition. The conservative chancellor said much right-wing criticism of top court candidate Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf had been unfair. Conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday defended Constitutional Court nominee Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf against fierce criticism from the political right. A dispute over the nomination has deepened discord within Merz's coalition, with center-left Social Democrats accusing conservative figures of exploiting claims about the law professor to sabotage her nomination for ideological reasons. Brosius-Gersdorf's nomination to Germany's top court was put on hold after a dispute over media portrayals of claims about her having "ultra-left" views and unsubstantiated plagiarism allegations. Brosius-Gersdorf was proposed as a candidate by the center-left Social Democrats, the junior partner in government. Merz's conservatives unexpectedly withdrew their support, citing concerns about her views on abortion and her support for mandatory vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic. A scheduled vote on her appointment to the Federal Constitutional Court was postponed. However, Merz called the media scrum around the law professor in recent weeks "completely unacceptable." "The criticism that was expressed was at times unobjective, polemical, and in part personally insulting and degrading," Merz said. He warned of a climate — particularly on social media — where "massive personal defamation" is no longer off-limits. The discord between the two parties represents the first major crisis within Germany's governing coalition, which only came to power in May. Brosius-Gersdorf said in a letter that the depiction of her character as "ultra-left" and "radical left" was "defamatory and unrealistic." She also accused the German media of "inaccurate and incomplete, unobjective and non-transparent" reporting. Brosius-Gersdorf has said the regularly raised claim that she supports legalizing abortion up until birth, among other depictions of her views, was both inaccurate and disparaging. "If you categorize my academic positions in their political breadth, a picture of the democratic center emerges," she argued. In an interview with the broadcaster ZDF, Brosius-Gersdorf said she would withdraw if her nomination appeared to damage the court's reputation. "I don't think anyone could have imagined it in their worst dreams, this kind of politicization of a constitutional court election," she said. "It's extremely dangerous, because it endangers the culture of debate, the foundations of our democracy." Brosius-Gersdorf remains a candidate for the court and could still be appointed after the Bundestag's summer break. Merz, from the conservative Christian Democrats, has declined to say whether the coalition would present a new candidate. He said he believed in a good solution within the coalition. "I trust that the two parliamentary groups in the Bundestag will do well," the chancellor said. At the same time, Merz admitted that the candidature should be better prepared next time, and that personnel proposals should be discussed earlier. But, he said, there was no time pressure and talks within the coalition were ongoing. German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil, from the Social Democrats, has urged "leadership and responsibility" from his conservative coalition partners. However, Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Bavarian state premier leader Markus Söder, both from Bavaria's conservative Christian Social Union, have both called on Brosius-Gersdorf to withdraw her candidacy. Germany's National Association of Local Gender Equality Officers warned against any such move, saying it would "send the wrong signal to enemies of democracy." The organization called the pressure on the academic part of a broader antifeminist and far-right campaign. The Karlsruhe-based Constitutional Court ensures compliance with the country's constitution, with judges elected to 12-year terms, with an age limit of 68 years. As one of Germany's most powerful institutions, it has regularly challenged both German and European politics.
DW
14-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
Germany's Constitutional Court becomes political football – DW – 07/14/2025
The Bundestag was supposed to elect three new judges to Germany's highest court. But the vote was canceled due to a dispute over one of the candidates. It is unclear what will happen next. The German parliament failed to complete one of its more important constitutional tasks on Friday: The planned vote on three vacant positions of the panel of judges in the Constitutional Court was removed from the agenda at short notice. The reason: It became apparent that at least one of the candidates, jurist and professor Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf, might not receive enough votes. Since the governing parties, the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), do not command a two-thirds majority in the Bundestag, they are dependent on support from the opposition for votes affecting the court. This was not supposed to have been a problem, as the opposition Greens and the Left Party had signaled that they would vote for the SPD-nominated Brosius-Gersdorf. But then it became clear that some CDU members would not — especially because of her liberal stance on abortion. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the second biggest faction in the parliament, had already made clear they were vehemently opposed to her nomination — unsurprising, as she had also suggested she would be in favor of banning the party if the necessary legal requirements were fulfilled. A few hours before the planned vote, the CDU demanded that the SPD withdraw Brosius-Gersdorf's nomination, citing new allegations that she might have plagiarized her PhD dissertation in 1997, which left-wing politicians see as spurious. As a result, the Bundestag session was interrupted and, after crisis talks, the Bundestag voted to postpone all three scheduled elections. The AfD voted against the postponement, with its parliamentary secretary, Bernd Baumann, calling for an immediate vote: "This judge is unacceptable, and the proposal has severely damaged the reputation of the Constitutional Court," he said. Heidi Reichinnek, head of the Left Party parliamentary group, blamed the CDU for the parliamentary impasse: "You are playing party political power games here and once again causing absolute chaos." The leader of the Green Party, Britta Hasselmann, shared this view: "Today is a bad day for parliament, for democracy, and for the Federal Constitutional Court." During the debate, SPD member Dirk Wiese spoke of a "smear campaign" against a highly respected constitutional lawyer. This prompted Gottfried Curio of the AfD to interject by dismissing Brosius-Gersdorf as a "left-wing extremist" — earning himself a reprimand from the parliamentary presidium for his trouble. Steffen Bilger of the CDU said that the long-standing practice of nominating and electing judges to the Federal Constitutional Court had proven its worth. "That is why we are a stable democracy," he said. However, he warned, the election should not be the subject of a heated political debate. At the same time, he reiterated the CDU's reservations about Brosius-Gersdorf: Candidates for the Constitutional Court must be above any professional doubt. "And in our view, that is no longer entirely the case," Bilger said. The Federal Constitutional Court is one of Germany's five organs of state. The other four are the lower house of parliament (Bundestag), the upper house of parliament (Bundesrat), which represents the state governments, the federal president, and the federal government. Together, they ensure the separation of powers, one of the core principles of a democratic society. The Constitutional Court's role in this system is to safeguard Germany's constitution, known as the Basic Law. Half of the 16 judges are elected by the Bundestag, while the Bundesrat elects the other half. A two-thirds majority is required in each case. If this is achieved, the federal president officially appoints the successful candidates as new members of the court. The state institutions are closely entwined in this election, which is why the parties represented in parliament, who nominate candidates for the court, are particularly dependent on coordination. It is still unclear when the postponed election of three judges will be held. The parliamentary summer recess is scheduled to begin this week and last until September. However, the Greens are already calling for a special session of the Bundestag next week, out of respect for the candidates and for the Federal Constitutional Court. "We cannot accept a stalemate over the summer in which the country is left in the dark about whether we still have a stable government," the two Green parliamentary leaders, Britta Hasselmann and Katharina Dröge, said in a statement. "The canceled election to the Federal Constitutional Court has plunged the coalition into a serious crisis." This fear is apparently shared by Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil of the SPD. "When there are controversial votes, there must also be leadership and responsibility, and that must be demonstrated," he demanded in the Bundestag, though without overtly pointing any accusatory fingers at the conservative party with which he governs. While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.
Euractiv
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Euractiv
New normal: Fight over controversial judge reflects new era in German politics
Germany's consensus-driven parliamentary system has entered a more rough-and-tumble period amid a rise of the political extremes Euractiv is part of the Trust Project Nick Alipour Euractiv Jul 11, 2025 18:49 4 min. read News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. BERLIN – A row in the German coalition over a controversial high-court nominee has turned into a test of wills that reflects a new reality in the country's politics. The coalition government of the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Social Democrats (SPD) was set to elect three new judges for the sixteen-member constitutional court in the Bundestag, Germany's parliament, on Friday. But discord over the nomination of Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf – the SPD pick whose liberal views on abortion stirred opposition on the conservative benches – forced the partners to abandon the vote after several dozen Christian Conservative lawmakers threatened to oppose her. The failed vote is not just a blow to the cohesion of Germany's fledgling coalition, but to the authority of Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Jens Spahn, the leader of the conservative parliamentary group, both of whom had signalled they would support Brosius-Gersdorf's nomination. More broadly, the dissension in the conservative ranks so early in the term signals that the fractious climate that characterised Germany's previous coalition – and ultimately precipitated its collapse – is not, as many voters hoped, over. The centrist alliance holds one of the narrowest majorities in postwar history as parties on both on the far right and left have gained ground. That reality has led factions within both the CDU and the SPD, the two parties that have dominated German politics since the war, to abandon more moderate terrain in an effort to claw back lost ground. This week's battle over the court nominee is only the latest example of this phenomenon, and unlikely the last, as the coalition is expected to tackle a number of hot-button partisan issues in the coming years, including conscription and migration. Conservative values Brosius-Gersdorf, a 54-year-old law professor, has advocated liberalising Germany's restrictive abortion law, which criminalises abortions in some circumstances, though without rigorous enforcement. As part of an expert committee on abortion law reform, she argued for a blanket decriminalisation of abortion last year. She has also argued in favour of allowing vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic, and publicly supported banning the far-right Alternative for Germany. Over the last days, right-wing actors had accused her of partiality. Conservative MPs – many of whom opposed liberalising abortion rules – have criticised her nomination, though mostly behind the scenes. Speaking anonymously, one lawmaker dubbed her "critical of life", another called her 'unelectable' and 'maximally unqualified' due to her vaccine position. Majority miscalculation Despite that opposition, both the chancellor and Spahn, the CDU's parliamentary leader, had insisted earlier this week that the Christian Democrats would back Brosius-Gersdorf. But on Thursday it gradually became clear they had underestimated the opposition within their ranks and would likely fail to produce the necessary two-thirds majority. After an impromptu meeting on Friday morning, the Christian Democrats officially asked to delay the vote on Brosius-Gersdorf, citing unsubstantiated accusations of plagiarism involving her doctoral thesis. The coalition then decided to postpone the vote, leaving SPD lawmakers fuming. The fate of the nominations is now in question. The SPD's chief whip, Dirk Wiese, said that he never would have thought that Germany could experience polarised debates about judge nominations like in the United States and Poland. 'The behaviour of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group today is in no way comprehensible to me,' said Macit Karaahmetoglu, a fellow SPD lawmaker and chair of the Bundestag's agenda committee. The opposition branded the failed Friday election a 'disaster' for the coalition, as Green parliamentary leader, Britta Haßelmann, put it. She blamed 'above all' Spahn and Merz for the impasse, adding that such an incident was unprecedented during judge elections. All eyes on Merz The evident split over abortion rights is putting a renewed spotlight on the stability of Merz's majority in parliament. Back in April, Merz did not garner enough support to be confirmed in a first round of voting – a t least 18 of his own MPs refused their support. He was still elected but only in an unprecedented second round. Support from the Social Democrats is also not a given. As a staunch conservative, Merz has long been somewhat unpopular with the SPD's leftist wing. This week's events are another indicator that social policy is increasingly becoming a bone of contention between the two governing camps. In recent weeks, the parliament's president, Julia Klöckner, triggered a controversy when she scrapped the parliament's official engagement in Berlin's annual pride parade – much to the dismay of SPD lawmakers. (vib, mk) Euractiv is part of the Trust Project Topics
The Sun
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
German coalition crisis as top judge vote postponed over plagiarism claims
BERLIN: A planned vote on appointing three new judges to Germany's Constitutional Court was shelved on Friday, as conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition struggled to muster a parliamentary majority for the second time in three months. Other parties, including his Social Democrat coalition partners, charged the Christian Democrats with bringing Germany's highest court into disrepute and using spurious plagiarism allegations as a pretext for shelving a vote the coalition would not have won. The conservatives had initially sought to postpone a vote only on appointing Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf, a law professor and the Social Democrats' nominee, who was opposed by many conservatives because of her support for abortion rights. 'I never imagined we'd see debates in our country reminiscent of those on appointing justices to the United States Supreme Court,' the SPD's Dirk Wiese told parliament. 'The kind of witch hunt we've seen against a distinguished law professor this week should make us fear for the state of democracy in our country,' he added. The failure to muster a majority is an embarrassment for Merz and for his ally Jens Spahn, the conservatives' parliamentary leader, whose job it is to ensure his legislators toe the coalition line - something he had been confident of achieving as recently as Monday. The conservatives blamed their volte-face on allegations published on Thursday evening by Stefan Weber, a self-proclaimed 'plagiarism hunter' who has claimed a string of politicians' scalps despite widespread doubts over his methods. Brosius-Gersdorf did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request for a comment on Weber's allegations, which appeared to accuse her of plagiarising footnotes in her thesis from one published after her own. 'This man brings plagiarism charges against half the republic,' said the Green's Britta Hasselmann, calling the conservatives' decision a disaster that would harm the court's reputation. Weber later backtracked, telling the Sueddeutsche Zeitung that he had merely flagged 'possible unethical authorship' and had not accused Brosius-Gersdorf of plagiarism. The Constitutional Court is one of Germany's most respected and powerful institutions. Its decision to overturn a budget helped trigger the collapse of the last government. While judges often have open party affiliations, public disagreements over topical cultural issues are rare. Its members speak with pride about its political neutrality, frequently comparing it favourably with the U.S. Supreme Court. - Reuters
DW
11-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
Germany's Bundestag postpones vote on judicial appointments – DW – 07/11/2025
The conservative CDU/CSU bloc has pushed for postponing the vote on one of the judges, citing plagiarism suspicions. The union's junior coalition partner, the Social Democrats, were outraged by the decision. On Friday, Germany's Bundestag postponed a vote on appointing three new Federal Constitutional Court judges following a request by Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party to postpone the vote for just one candidate. The conservative bloc, made up of the CDU and the allied Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), requested postponing the vote on the appointment of Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf following plagiarism allegations. Brosius-Gersdorf's candidacy was put forth by the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the junior partner in the ruling coalition. The conservatives had already expressed skepticism over her liberal stance on abortions and her support for mandatory vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Union's move to postpone the vote triggered outrage from the Greens and the SPD, who said it undermined the court's legitimacy. As a result, the Green party asked for the vote on all three judges to be postponed. The conservative ruling bloc, which has proposed Federal Labour Court judge Günter Spinner, moved to delay the vote on the SPD candidate, citing alleged plagiarism. Conservatives consider Brosius-Gersdorf controversial for her liberal stance on abortion. Green party heads Britta Hasselmann and Katharina Dröge said it is unacceptable and disrespectful that the vote for Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf alone will be postponed. "That a nominee can be openly defamed and dragged through the mud like this is shameful," Hasselmann said. "It's about the integrity of our highest court." A two-thirds majority is needed for judges to be elected to the high court. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has said it would support Spinner, but not the SPD candidates. The conservative may be reliant on AfD votes to get its candidate through as it has so far rejected talks with the Left Party. However, votes are secret so it will not necessarily be clear if the AfD votes are what gets Spinner across the line. Based in the southern German city of Karlsruhe, the Federal Constitutional Court ensures compliance with the country's constitution, known as Basic Law. For the latest developments and analysis from Germany, follow our live blog.
