Intelligence agency sans AfD and Left party representatives
In the German Parliament, a Single Voice of Dissent
Berlin — The forthcoming Parliamentary Control Committee (PKGr) of the Bundestag will only count one dissenting voice, as neither Heidi Reichinnek from the Left party, nor the two AfD candidates, Martin Hess and Gerold Otten, secured the necessary majority of 316 votes during the election of new PKGr members in the Bundestag. Alongside representatives from the Union and SPD, Konstantin von Notz, the deputy chairman of the Green parliamentary group, is the sole member of the opposition who will sit on the Parliamentary Control Panel (PKGr).
Agendas Hidden Behind Secrets
The PKGrmonitors intelligence services, gains access to sensitive information, and meets in hushed conversations within a soundproof room, all while operating under absolute secrecy. Members are nominated by their respective factions but must also be elected in the Bundestag.
A Threat from the Left... or Not?
Prior to the election, doubts were expressed about Reichinnek by CSU parliamentary group leader Alexander Hoffmann. Conversely, several SPD politicians argued that Reichinnek could still be elected, given her commitment to democracy. The Left had earlier linked the election of their faction chair with agreement on other votes. Following the election results, Sören Pellmann of the Left faction threatened, "It remains to be seen how the Union will secure two-thirds majorities without the Left in the future."
In the last legislative period, the Left was represented in the PKGr by André Hahn, who had to step down when the party lost its faction status due to a split in the BSW.
Reichinnek received 260 yes votes, 258 no votes, 27 abstentions, and 42 invalid votes, according to Bundestag Vice President Andrea Lindholz. Gerold Otten, an AfD candidate, received 127 yes votes, and Martin Hess, his fellow AfD member, received 121 yes votes.
The AfD has not held a seat in the control committee in recent years. The party was represented there only in the first legislative period following their entry into the Bundestag, by Roman Reusch, former Berlin's chief public prosecutor.
The control committee, which handles issues such as terrorist threats, extremist networks, and espionage cases, will be reduced from 13 to 9 members compared to previous years. However, with Reichinnek, Hess, and Otten not elected, there are currently only six MPs. The chairman will be the North Rhine-Westphalian CDU MP, Marc Henrichmann.
"We need a democratic opposition that controls," stated the Left's interior policy spokeswoman, Clara Bünger. A single Green MP is insufficient for this purpose.
The re-elected Green representative, Konstantin von Notz, urged the Left to promptly find a replacement: "In the interest of the decision-making and working capacity of the committee and the absolute necessity of an orderly parliamentary control of the important work of the intelligence services in politically tumultuous times, I hope that the Left will soon be able to present the parliament and its members with a proposal that finds the necessary majority," he said.
Warnings from the Greens
In recent weeks, politicians from the Greens had cautioned that the reduction could result in diminished decision-making power. They were the only faction to abstain during the vote on the establishment of the committee.
Unlike Bundestag committees, which do not reconvene immediately following an election but must wait to reconvene, the PKGr meets irrespective of elections. This also allows politicians who are no longer in the Bundestag — due to various reasons such as failing to run for re-election or losing their seat — to continue participating in the meetings. This was recently the case for FDP politicians Konstantin Kuhle and Alexander Müller, whose party failed to clear the five-percent hurdle in the February election.
[Enrichment Data]The reduction in the Bundestag’s size due to the 2025 federal election, combined with the controversial classification of the AfD as a right-wing extremist party by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, has resulted in a reduction of opposition members on the parliamentary control committee to only one. This move has sparked concerns regarding the diminished oversight capacity from opposition parties in crucial committees, ultimately undermining the principles of democratic pluralism and parliamentary control in Germany.
- The reduction in the Bundestag's size due to the 2025 federal election, coupled with the AfD's classification as a right-wing extremist party, has resulted in only one opposition member on the Parliamentary Control Committee (PKGr), raising concerns about the diminished oversight capacity from opposition parties in crucial committees.
- The re-elected Green representative, Konstantin von Notz, urged the Left to promptly find a replacement for Reichinnek on the PKGr, as a single Green MP is not enough for a democratic opposition that ensures proper control of the important work of the intelligence services, especially in politically tumultuous times.
