Jens Spahn grants errors after a failed judge election

Union faction leader Jens Spahn gave mistakes in the dispute of the black and red coalition about the failed constitutional judge. In a letter to the members of the parliamentary group, the CDU politician said that the parliamentary group management and he as chairman “had underestimated the dimension of the fundamental and content-based concerns about one of the candidates”, as the “Bild” newspaper reported on Monday.

“The fact that the impression could arise that a suspicion of a plagiarism would be our central concern, should not have happened,” added Spahn in the letter. “Rather, it was only the literally last drop, with which a majority in the upcoming election was certainly no longer available.” Spahn also emphasized that the “emergency brake on Friday” was then too late.

The CDU politician also took the SPD parliamentary group management into co-liability. “We were no longer able to find a compromise with the SPD on Friday. Both sides have their share in this,” the “Bild” newspaper quoted from writing. He “had many conversations at the weekend, internally and with our coalition partner” and was convinced that “we will find a solution together with the SPD”.

The Bundestag should have filled three judges on Friday at the Federal Constitutional Court. In the election committee of Parliament, all three also received a majority. In the Union there were reservations against the candidate Brosius-Gersdorf proposed by the SPD. CDU/CSU therefore called for the candidate to withdraw from the SPD at short notice, before voting in the plenum. The election of all three judges was then discontinued.