In view of the high number of corona infections, the CDU / CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag is pushing for pure online parliamentary sessions. “Digital work is the order of the day”, said the Bremen CDU member Elisabeth Motschmann of the German press agency in Berlin. Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki rejected this immediately. He certified the CDU politician “a rather desolate understanding of parliament”. The First Parliamentary Managing Director of the Greens, Britta Haßelmann, does not believe in the proposal: “In the last few months of the Corona crisis, Parliament has shown that it is able to work,” she told the dpa.

Bundestag should “upgrade digitally” Motschmann said: “In every week of the session, travel over 700 Members of the German Bundestag from all over the Republic to Berlin. Who will be responsible for that? ” For the CDU politician, it is clear: “Under the current Corona measures, the German Bundestag should also draw conclusions and not meet physically.” Motschmann, who is, among other things, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Committee on Culture and Media and the national executive committee of her party, added: “It is long overdue anyway that the German Bundestag is upgrading digitally and that votes can also take place online.”

The FDP politician Kubicki held against it: “A parliamentary democracy lives not only from mere votes, but from the principle of speech and counter-speech, from the interaction between the elected representatives,” said the Vice President of the Bundestag. “A digital debate can never replace direct debate. The fact that the Union believes that these processes are suddenly completely unnecessary shows how much they understand the role of the nod of government decrees.”

MPs should be present “Our parliamentary democracy lives from public debate, from speech and counter-speech”, said the Green politician Haßelmann. “A move away from the presence of MPs would completely change the character of our parliament. That cannot be wanted.” Especially in these pandemic times, public discourse, the struggle for good concepts and the weighing of decisions are urgently needed. “Measures, restrictions and vaccination strategies must be discussed and advised transparently.”

Haßelmann emphasized: “The Bundestag is functional, even in times of crisis.” One will have to continue to discuss the modernization and digitization of everyday work processes in the Bundestag. “With regard to the exercise of a parliamentary mandate without attendance, there are serious constitutional concerns and risks in the implementation.”

With the cocktail in the Maldives Kubicki told the dpa: “Motschmann’s idea, if it were consistently developed, would mean, by the way, that the MPs could also make decisions about the future of this country with a cocktail on the beach in the Maldives Even Ms. Motschmann should be clear about the fact that the House cannot be reconciled. ” You are welcome to stay at home for the coming week of the session, if you think that’s right.

The Bundestag will follow suit for the first time in the new week the Christmas break together again. However, it will only meet on Wednesday and Thursday, the Friday was – just like in the week of meetings right before Christmas – deleted.

(tiw)