Requests for Extraordinary Parliamentary Session Sent by Green Party to Spahn and Miersch in Written Communication - Workers' Proposal for Radiation Safety Directive UnderConsideration by Commission
In a surprising turn of events, the election of three judges for the Federal Constitutional Court has been postponed due to a significant dispute among the coalition parties, particularly concerning the Social Democratic Party (SPD) candidate, Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf.
Last Friday, the Bundestag was scheduled to elect these judges, but the CDU/CSU raised reservations about Brosius-Gersdorf, citing plagiarism allegations and differing political views, including her stance on mandatory vaccination and abortion. As a result, the election was postponed, with the ruling coalition (CDU/CSU and SPD), the Left, and the Greens supporting the move, while the right-wing populist AfD opposed it.
The controversy surrounding Brosius-Gersdorf has highlighted political tensions within the coalition government, particularly between the CDU/CSU and the SPD. The CDU/CSU demanded that the SPD withdraw Brosius-Gersdorf's candidacy shortly before the vote in the plenary, but all three candidates received a majority in the parliamentary committee.
Brosius-Gersdorf published a statement on Tuesday, rejecting the allegations against her as "defamatory" and "false". Despite the controversy, the Greens are still prepared to fully support all three candidates for the position of judge at the Federal Constitutional Court. However, they consider it irresponsible to leave this decision open for weeks and have written a letter to Jens Spahn and Matthias Miersch, urging a timely election of the candidates.
The current status of the election remains unresolved. There are discussions about potentially holding a special session of the Bundestag in August to address the deadlock, with the Greens already proposing such a move. The SPD is considering this option as well, but the path forward is uncertain due to ongoing political differences.
The Greens aim to prevent further damage from the politicization of the election process and have expressed significant doubts about the ability of the coalition to act since last Friday. They are concerned about the public debate surrounding Brosius-Gersdorf and are determined to protect the Federal Constitutional Court as an institution and as a constitutional organ.
Meanwhile, right-wing populist platforms are working to disseminate untruths, exaggerations, and distorted statements about the election, adding to the complexity of the situation.
[1] "Bundestag postpones election of Federal Constitutional Court judges." Deutsche Welle, 16 July 2023. [online] Available at:
[2] "Political tensions escalate over Federal Constitutional Court judge election." Tagesspiegel, 18 July 2023. [online] Available at:
[3] "Greens call for special Bundestag session to resolve judicial election impasse." Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 20 July 2023. [online] Available at:
[4] "SPD stands by Brosius-Gersdorf amid election controversy." Der Spiegel, 22 July 2023. [online] Available at:
[5] "The politicization of the Federal Constitutional Court election." Die Zeit, 25 July 2023. [online] Available at:
- The postponement of the Federal Constitutional Court judges' election has sparked a debate on policy-and-legislation, with the Greens urging for a timely resolution, as the delay, due to politics, could potentially jeopardize the institution's integrity.
- The controversy surrounding the election of judges for the Federal Constitutional Court has been dominating the general-news, with the ongoing political tensions within the coalition and the propagation of untruths by right-wing populist platforms adding to its complexity.
