The German parliament renews the "epidemic situation of national scope"
Berlin, 25 August 2021 – The CDU/CSU and SPD governing majority prevailed with 325 votes to 252 and 5 abstentions, thereby confirming the “epidemic situation of national scope” (roughly speaking, the state of emergency) [1]. The so-called “anti-corona” freedom-killing measures will therefore be extended by 3 months (once again). The opposition, for various reasons, some laudable and others less so, opposes them en bloc.
Nothing shocks any more, but how is it that 127 of the 709 members of parliament (almost a fifth!) did not even feel obliged to vote on the so-called “epidemic situation of national scope”?! The missing opposition votes alone (79) would just about have been enough to put an end to the freedom-killing regime. With 325 votes in favour and 252 against, support for the state of emergency is already lower than it was as recently as June (on 11 June: 375 for and 218 against the extension [2]). But what is the point of this parliamentary erosion if thestate of emergency can nevertheless pass in parliament with the votes of less than 50% of the members, because the opposition does not organise itself all the way?! If it does not show itself consistent and does not follow its words with deeds?! Like the figurehead of the left-wing party “Die Linke”, Ms Wagenknecht, or the jurist and member of the liberal party “FDP”, Mr Kubicki, who at other times know how to take positions against the measures in the media?! This says a lot about a political system and its flaws, as well as about the opposition within it.
By Colin Meier, citizen journalist
[1] https://www.bundestag.de/parlament/plenum/abstimmung/abstimmung?id=754
[2] https://www.bundestag.de/parlament/plenum/abstimmung/abstimmung/?id=746
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