The dissolution of the state parliament in Thuringia threatens to fail
Left, SPD, Greens and the CDU had submitted an application to the state parliament administration on June 30th that parliament should vote on its dissolution
Source: dpa / Martin Schutt
The planned dissolution of the state parliament in Thuringia on July 19 is on the brink. It is unclear whether the necessary two-thirds majority will be achieved. The FDP wants to abstain, the AfD could exert influence again.
WA few days before the planned dissolution of the state parliament on July 19 in Thuringia, there is growing uncertainty as to whether the two-thirds majority required by the constitution is in place. Red-Red-Green will only finally decide on Sunday evening whether the application for the dissolution of the state parliament will be held, said the three parliamentary group leaders on Wednesday in Erfurt.
Left, SPD and Greens, who govern together, are also considering a kind of security vote in two stages, should the special session of the state parliament be held next Monday. The FDP announcement that it will not support the dissolution of the state parliament is causing the uncertainty.
“As of today: we abstain,” said FDP parliamentary group leader Thomas Kemmerich. He called on the parliamentary groups of the Left, SPD, Greens and CDU to withdraw their joint motion to dissolve the state parliament, “and thus not to give the AfD the opportunity to dissolve the highest constitutional body in the Free State”.
Including the MP Ute Bergner, who has resigned from the FDP, the four parliamentary groups currently have 58 votes because four CDU and two left-wing MPs do not want to participate for various reasons. However, 60 votes are needed to dissolve the state parliament and clear the way for its new election on September 26th together with the general election.
AfD parliamentary group leader Björn Höcke did not rule out a constitutional complaint
The parliamentary group leaders of the SPD, Linker and Greens spoke out in favor of a two-stage voting process, should the special session of the state parliament be held on Monday. According to this, the MPs should first have to raise their hands when voting and, in a second step, confirm their vote by standing up from the seat. Should it become clear in the first step that the dissolution of the state parliament would only be possible with AfD votes, the other parliamentary groups could react accordingly.
AfD parliamentary group leader Björn Höcke did not rule out a constitutional complaint against such a two-stage voting process. A decision in his group has not yet been made. The voting behavior of AfD MPs is free – the tendency is to abstain, said Höcke.
Members of the red-red-green minority coalition and the CDU had submitted an application to the state parliament administration at the end of June that parliament should vote on its dissolution. As required, he was signed by 30 MPs, including Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left). The hope of the parties in an early state election was that there would be clear majorities in the Erfurt parliament.
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