Kretschmann calls on citizens' council on compulsory military service: citizens should have a say!

Kretschmann calls on citizens' council on compulsory military service: citizens should have a say!

What is happening in Germany’s political landscape? The discussion about compulsory military service is being given a breath of fresh air. Winfried Kretschmann, the Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg and a member of the Green Party, has launched an exciting initiative. He suggests that Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) set up a citizens' council on compulsory military service. The goal? To involve citizens directly in the debate about the reactivation of conscription or the introduction of general compulsory service, with Kretschmann describing the question as of “fundamental importance”.

Kretschmann is convinced that a citizens' assembly can help to objectify the discussion, counteract radicalization and strengthen acceptance of political decisions. Positive experiences with citizens' forums in Baden-Württemberg underline the usefulness of his proposal. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) also supported Kretschmann's idea, which shows that this appeal has met with a receptive ear in political Berlin.

Citizens' councils - an instrument for democracy

Citizens' councils are not a new concept. They consist of participants selected by lottery who develop recommendations on specific topics. These bodies have become established in many modern democracies, such as the Citizens' Assembly in Ireland or the Convention Citoyenne pour le Climat in France. In Germany, citizens' assemblies have become more important in recent years, particularly because they can build an important bridge between representative democracy and direct citizen participation.

In Baden-Württemberg, citizens' councils have been part of the citizens' forums since 2011. An example of successfully implemented participant participation is the citizens' assembly on nutrition issues, which involved 160 randomly selected citizens to develop recommendations. The discussions are often controversial, but they help to objectify topics. This is particularly important because the opportunities for citizen participation in Germany have so far been limited at the federal level.

On the way to conscription?

As far as conscription is concerned, it remains anchored in the Basic Law and reintroduction would be possible with a simple majority. However, a general service that would also include women would require a change to the Basic Law. The considerations about compulsory military service are no coincidence: after 14 years of suspension (2011), social approval must be reassessed. Kretschmann makes it clear that the topic affects many people.

The past has shown that serious political issues can be brought to the fore through citizen participation. Integrating citizens' assemblies into public discourse is not easy, but necessary - this is the only way to achieve their impact. “Dialogue citizen participation” is a term that comes up again and again in this context and underlines how important it is for citizens to participate in decision-making processes. The service center for dialogic citizen participation in Baden-Württemberg offers support in order to effectively implement citizen participation processes.

Overall, it shows that the idea of ​​a citizens' assembly on compulsory military service offers an opportunity to take the dialogue between politics and the population to a new level. Kretschmann and his colleagues not only offer an answer to current challenges, but also promote democratic coexistence in Germany.

For further information on the topics of citizens' councils and the reactivation of compulsory military service, we recommend taking a look at the detailed reports from daily news, Allgäu newspaper and the comprehensive explanations about citizens' assemblies bpb.de.