Even before the first session of the newly elected state parliament in Saxony-Anhalt, there is a risk of a dispute between the parliamentary groups. On Friday, the representatives of the AfD, CDU, SPD, Greens, Left and BSW met in Magdeburg for the so-called Pre-Elders' Council to determine procedural rules for parliamentary operations. There was no solution at the meeting, the next round is planned for September 30th.
There are different opinions, especially regarding the size of the committees. The AfD proposes that the committees should in future consist of 12 instead of the current 13 members. However, the state parliament administration recommended a composition of 11 representatives because this would reflect the election results well.
Size makes a difference: with a strength of 12 politicians, the AfD could take 6 places - and would therefore have great shaping power. It wouldn't be a majority of our own, but a stalemate of 6:6 against the other factions. This would make it easier for decisions or recommendations for resolutions in the committee to be blocked or delayed. With a committee of 11, the AfD would have five representatives, so it would have to coordinate with other parliamentary groups.
If committees of 12 are established, several factions intend to file a lawsuit with the state constitutional court because they do not see the election results reflected in the majority, reports the dpa news agency.
In the state elections on September 6th, the AfD with its top candidate Ulrich Siegmund was the strongest force with 43.8 percent, ahead of the CDU with 17.2 percent. The CDU, Left, Greens and SPD together have 39 seats in parliament, and the AfD also has 39 members. The BSW has 5 representatives, the majority is 42 votes.
The committees in which the majority of the substantive work in Parliament takes place should reflect the majority situation as in the plenary session. The principle of mirror image is also mentioned. The committees discuss bills and motions and hold hearings. In the past, concerns of the smaller factions and the opposition were often taken into account.
She now fears that this will change. However, representatives of other factions reject the AfD's move primarily because they do not see it as reflecting the election results. It is not constitutional for a faction that does not have a majority in parliament to occupy half of the seats in a committee, said the SPD's parliamentary manager, Falko Grube. If the AfD and BSW pull this off together, then “we’ll go to the state constitutional court.”
Sven Schulze, still Prime Minister and CDU parliamentary group leader, rejects the AfD's demand. "This does not correspond to the election result, we have also clearly communicated that to the AfD. You can now see that they are trying to make as many decisions as possible not only in the interests of the AfD, but perhaps also deviating from the actual election result."
The size of the committee is finally determined by the rules of procedure, which the state parliament could decide on October 6th after the election of the state parliament president. The parliamentary managing director of the AfD, Tobias Rausch, appeared ready to talk after the consultation. “In principle, we do not exclude either option,” said Rausch, referring to the question of whether there should be 11 or 12 representatives on the committees.
It's about the ability to compromise, but the state parliament lawyers also made it clear in a statement that the AfD's proposal was constitutional, emphasized Rausch. There are always deviations in the calculations.
Rausch could take a prominent position in the new state parliament. When asked, the AfD politician confirmed a report by “Magdeburger Volksstimme” that he would be willing to become President of the State Parliament. He is available for the office “if my group chooses me on Tuesday,” said the 35-year-old.
There are also differences in another point when preparing for parliamentary operations. This is about the seating arrangement. Instead of being on the far right, the AfD MPs would like to sit in the middle of the plenary session in the future.
According to participants in the pre-council of elders, the AfD is also considering outsourcing the offices of the SPD and the Greens from the state parliament to other buildings. Above all, this would be a step with a symbolic effect. Due to a renovation, the Left is currently using other premises. If the proposal were to be implemented, the entire left-wing camp would no longer be fully housed in parliament.
“We continue to strive to stay in the main building, but there is still no agreement,” said SPD politician Grube. The parliamentary director of the Greens, Olaf Meister, also rejects the move. "We refused to follow this. There is no factual reason why factions have to move out here," said Meister. It is unclear how the conflict will end. “But I actually assume that the factions will stay in the main building.”
CDU parliamentary group leader Schulze believes these demands are a demonstration of power by the AfD. “I would say that this probably has to do with the fact that the AfD wants to show how strong it is now.”
