Parliament - Coalition introduces bill to amend the constitution
The coalition factions in the Saxon state parliament introduced their bill to amend the constitution on Thursday. The Parliamentary Secretary of the CDU parliamentary group, Sören Voigt, spoke of a "cautious change". His SPD colleague Sabine Friedel conceded that the draft expresses the lowest common denominator of the coalition factions, for example on the issue of popular legislation. Left Party parliamentary group leader Rico Gebhardt saw the opportunity for a comprehensive modernization of the constitution as missed.
According to the draft bill, the hurdles for popular legislation are to be lowered and the signatures required for popular petitions and referendums are to be roughly halved - to around 20,000 and 200,000 respectively. The so-called popular lawsuit is planned as an innovation. A law passed by the state parliament could then be challenged by the population at the Saxon Constitutional Court. Furthermore, climate protection is to be enshrined in the constitution as a state objective. Other points relate to equal rights between men and women and the protection of disabled people from discrimination.
The coalition partners were unable to agree on a reform of the debt brake. "Our draft bill is intended to create a small benefit in this country, no more and no less. I would be delighted if we could succeed in not letting this fall completely by the wayside in the upcoming consultations," SPD politician Friedel concluded her speech. A constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority in parliament.
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- The bill to amend the constitution, introduced by the coalition factions in the Saxon State parliament, includes lowering the hurdles for popular legislation and halving the signature requirements for popular petitions and referendums.
- SPD politician Sabine Friedel acknowledged that the draft expresses the lowest common denominator of the coalition factions, such as on the issue of popular legislation, but expressed hope that the proposed changes could create a small benefit in the country.
- Rico Gebhardt, the Left Party parliamentary group leader, criticized the coalition's draft, stating that it missed the opportunity for a comprehensive modernization of the constitution.
- The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) parliamentary group's Parliamentary Secretary Sören Voigt described the proposed changes as a "cautious change," while his SPD colleague Sabine Friedel emphasized that the draft bill does not aim for more than creating a small benefit in the country.
Source: www.stern.de
