Klingbeil leaves no compromise: AfD debate as an internal foul!

In the current debate about dealing with the AfD in the Bundestag, Lars Klingbeil, chairman of the SPD, expressed sharp criticism. He described the discussion as unnecessary and an internal foul against the CDU boss Friedrich Merz. According to Klingbeil, there will be no normalization of dealing with the AfD from the social democratic side. He emphasized that he would not vote for an AfD politician in the Bundestag.

Since the AfD moved to the Bundestag in 2017, all AfD applicants have failed for the post of a Bundestag Vice President. In the past election period, the AfD also did not receive any committee on good. Klingbeil describes the discussion about dealing with the AfD as inappropriate, especially according to the latest coalition agreement with the Union. The advances of Jens Spahn, an Union faction vice to treat the AfD on organizational questions in the Bundestag, how other opposition parties have been treated.

criticism from inside and outside

Jens Spahn has proposed to change the rules in parliament accordingly so as not to give the AfD the feeling of being pushed into a victim role. This idea receives support from some Union politicians, including Dennis Radtke, the chairman of the CDU worker wing. Radtke described the debate as superfluous and raised the question of whether the rules of procedure of the Bundestag was violated at the expense of the AfD. He warned against feminating the AfD's “victim narrative”.

With a view to a possible approach to the AfD, Klingbeil and Ralf Stegner, also SPD, distance themselves clearly from the thought. Stegner warned that normalizing the relationship to the AfD could endanger the possibility of a coalition with the SPD. This discussion about dealing with the AfD raises many questions and shows the internal disagreement within the Union, while the SPD adheres to its negative attitude. In fact, the Bundestag has positioned itself clearly: According to a decision by the Federal Constitutional Court, the AfD has no legal entitlement to committee supervisors

The AfD currently remains the largest opposition group in the Bundestag, but has repeatedly lost central political posts in the past, including the application for Vice President. These developments not only raise questions about the CDU's internal politics, but also about future forms with the AfD in the Bundestag. With a clear no to any approach to the AfD, the SPD sends a strong and clear message that is likely to shape the political landscape in Germany.