Germany's Bundestag postpones vote on judicial appointments

The conservative CDU/CSU bloc has pushed for postponing the vote on one of the judges, citing plagiarism suspicions. The union's junior coalition partner, the Social Democrats, were outraged by the decision.

On Friday, Germany's Bundestag postponed a vote on appointing three new Federal Constitutional Court judges following a request by Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party to postpone the vote for just one candidate.

The conservative bloc, made up of the CDU and the allied Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), requested postponing the vote on the appointment of Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf following plagiarism allegations. Brosius-Gersdorf's candidacy was put forth by the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the junior partner in the ruling coalition.

The conservatives had already expressed skepticism over her liberal stance on abortions and her support for mandatory vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Union's move to postpone the vote triggered outrage from the Greens and the SPD, who said it undermined the court's legitimacy.

As a result, the Green party asked for the vote on all three judges to be postponed.

What happened at the Bundestag?

The conservative ruling bloc, which has proposed Federal Labour Court judge Günter Spinner,  moved to delay the vote on the SPD candidate, citing alleged plagiarism. Conservatives consider Brosius-Gersdorf controversial for her liberal stance on abortion.

Green party heads Britta Hasselmann and Katharina Dröge said it is unacceptable and disrespectful that the vote for Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf alone will be postponed.

"That a nominee can be openly defamed and dragged through the mud like this is shameful," Hasselmann said. "It's about the integrity of our highest court."

A two-thirds majority is needed for judges to be elected to the high court. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has said it would support Spinner, but not the SPD candidates.

The conservative may be reliant on AfD votes to get its candidate through as it has so far rejected talks with the Left Party. However, votes are secret so it will not necessarily be clear if the AfD votes are what gets Spinner across the line.

Based in the southern German city of Karlsruhe, the Federal Constitutional Court ensures compliance with the country's constitution, known as Basic Law.

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Edited by: Alex Berry

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