AfD files suit against state parliament - AfD parliamentary group in Saarland demands more money and influence
The Constitutional Court of Saarland will deal with three applications by the AFD faction against the Landtag or its president at the Saarland Landtag on Friday (9:00 am). The issues concern Fraktionszuschüsse and the composition of the investigative committee on the murder of an asylum seeker over 30 years ago.
According to the court, two applications concern the distribution of Fraktionszuschüsse in the budget laws of the Saarland Landtag for the years 2023 and 2024 and the payments made by the president for these. "The applicant alleges that the distribution of the parliamentary committees infringes upon her organizational rights to equal participation in the parliamentary process," the statement reads.
According to the AFD faction leader Josef Dörr, his faction has had approximately 75,000 euros less at their disposal since the Landtag passed a new calculation component for the distribution of funds for the three Landtags-fraktions last year. "The resolution annoyed us. In addition to the fact that there is less money and the CDU benefits from it, we have fewer design options," Dörr told the German Press Agency.
According to Landtags spokeswoman Julia Degen, the AFD received Fraktionszuschüsse in the amount of 477,939 euros in 2023, and 499,169 euros were planned for 2024.
Another procedure concerns the decision made last year on the size and composition of the investigative committee on the Yeboah case. This committee, which began its work in mid-June, deals with racist attacks in the Saarland in the early 1990s. The focus is on an arson attack in September 1991 on an asylum seeker home in Saarlouis, in which the Ghanaian Samuel Yeboah lost his life.
According to the Constitutional Court, the AFD faction sees a violation of their rights under Article 66, Paragraph 2, Sentence 1 of the Saarland Constitution in the composition of the committee with only five regular members, three of whom are from the SPD and two from the CDU. Accordingly, the deputies are representatives of the entire people.
According to a court spokesperson, this is called an "Organstreitverfahren," which is initiated with an application and involves the applicant and the respondent facing off against each other. On Friday, representatives from the AFD and the Landtag will present their positions, and the Constitutional Court, under the leadership of President Professor Roland Rixecker, may ask questions. A decision will not be made on this day. It is expected to follow within the next three months.
- The Constitutional Court of Germany, specifically in Saarland, will hear three cases brought forth by the AFD party against the Saarland Landtag or its president on Friday.
- The issue of Fraktionszuschüsse distribution and the composition of the investigative committee regarding the murder of an asylum seeker over 30 years ago are under scrutiny in these applications.
- Josef Dörr, the leader of the AFD faction, stated that his party has been financially affected since the Landtag implemented a new calculation component for distributing funds to the three Landtags-fraktions last year.
- The investigative committee dealing with the Yeboah case, which includes racial attacks in Saarland in the early 1990s, has been a subject of concern for the AFD party, as they believe that their rights under the Saarland Constitution have been violated in the committee's composition.
- Samuel Yeboah, a Ghanaian asylum seeker, lost his life in an arson attack on a home for asylum seekers in Saarlouis in September 1991, and this event is the focus of the investigative committee.
- The Constitution Court of Saarland has initiated an "Organstreitverfahren," a legal procedure involving the applicant and respondent facing off against each other, to address these concerns related to the AFD party's allegations of violated rights.
