Conference of Interior Ministers changes decision-making rules due to AfD concerns

Out of fear of a blockade by the AfD, the interior ministers of the federal states have given up their decades-long principle of unanimity. In the future, a majority of 13 of the 16 state votes will be sufficient for decisions by the Conference of Interior Ministers (IMK), as a spokesman for the conference announced on Wednesday evening. The decision was made in a written circular procedure. The concrete background for the change is the political development in Saxony-Anhalt. After the AfD's recent election victory, a politician from the party could take over the interior department in the future and prevent joint resolutions with a single dissenting vote.

Until now, an unwritten principle of unanimity applied to the meetings of the state ministers. A resolution was only passed if no country actively objected, although abstentions were possible. This regulation was not based on a set of rules of procedure, but rather on a practice that has been in place for decades. This principle is intended to force people to approach each other on controversial issues and find compromises instead of insisting on maximum positions. In order not to put a member in the predicament of saying "no", there is the possibility of recording reservations by means of a statement in the minutes (instead of formally voting against) - a kind of valve that facilitates unanimity in practice.