Germany honors constitution – guarantor of political stability
Published: Thursday, May 16th 2024, 15:10
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The German parliament has praised the Basic Law, which was proclaimed 75 years ago, as an anchor of stability for Germany. "Our Basic Law is a guarantor of freedom, the rule of law and political stability," said Günter Krings, the Christian Democrats' legal affairs politician, in the Bundestag in Berlin on Thursday.
He argued that, in addition to the Federal Constitutional Court, parliaments should also be made more secure against enemies of democracy. However, the key to making parliamentary democracy crisis-proof lies not only in the Basic Law, but also in responsible, good politics.
The deputy chairman of the Social Democratic parliamentary group, Dirk Wiese, emphasized that what the fathers and four mothers of the Basic Law wrote down 75 years ago has lost none of its relevance and importance. "Because what is in this Basic Law, in this little book, actually regulates everything in our country that is necessary for respectful coexistence, for people living together in our country." The Basic Law also has defensive powers - for example against proponents of a caliphate, a leader state or a kingdom of Germany.
She sees the constitution as a "gift", said Green MP Katrin Göring-Eckardt. She pointed out that this year also marks the 35th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution in East Germany. It is now about the resilience of society and the constitution. On behalf of the FDP, Linda Teuteberg emphasized that the parties were given a prominent place in the Basic Law as a lesson from the German Empire and the Weimar Republic.
The First Parliamentary Secretary of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, Thorsten Frei, addressed the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) directly: The threat to the constitution also arises from a party with people in its ranks who want to "ethnically relativize" the central proposition of the inviolability of human dignity. This danger must be opposed with all our strength.
Criticism came from both the left and the right. Sahra Wagenknecht, chairwoman of the left-wing alliance of the same name, emphasized: "75 years of the Basic Law is less a day for celebrations in elite circles than it should be a reminder for us to once again take into account respect for diversity of opinion and the social state and peace imperative of our constitution." Stephan Brandner from the AfD called his parliamentary group the "only constitutional group" in the Bundestag. "You talk about the Basic Law, we as the AfD live the Basic Law," he said, addressing the other parties.
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