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Politics — News — Mannheim — Political style — Youth — Berlin — German Press Agency — Member of the Bundestag — Union parliamentary group — Germany — Woman — Vera Lengsfeld — Friedrich Merz — Alliance 90/The Greens — CSU — CDU — Bundestag

Green MP switches to the CDU parliamentary group in the Bundestag

The Greens are disappointed, the CDU delighted: Melis Sekmen, a member of the Bundestag, is switching sides. One party in particular welcomes the new member with open arms.

,   and  Wendy Allen
4 min read
Melis Sekmen (archive photo) will speak for the CDU instead of the Greens in the Bundestag in...
Melis Sekmen (archive photo) will speak for the CDU instead of the Greens in the Bundestag in future

Melis Sekmen - Green MP switches to the CDU parliamentary group in the Bundestag

"Green parliamentarian Melis Sekmen is expected to attend the Union faction meeting in the German Bundestag on Tuesday. The 30-year-old from Mannheim will participate as a guest in the regular consultations of the CDU/CSU parliamentarians, reported the German Press Agency from Berlin. Sekmen announced her departure from the Greens and the Green parliamentary faction on Monday – in the midst of political disputes between the Union and the Greens before the important state elections in the fall.

"My decision is the result of a long process," Sekmen told the DPA on Monday evening. "My perception of how and in what style politics is made has evolved." Sekmen has Turkish roots – her father came to Germany as a young man. She was born in Mannheim and has been a member of the Bundestag since 2021.

Union faction leader Friedrich Merz (CDU) told the DPA that the faction was looking forward to welcoming Sekmen as a new member soon. The deputy is planning to seek membership in the CDU district association Mannheim in the coming days. "Mrs. Sekmen's family history and her issues are closely related to what the CDU stands for. We make politics for the hardworking people in our country."

Greens demand resignation of Melis Sekmen

The Green district association Mannheim is demanding that the former Green parliamentarian Melis Sekmen resign from her mandate. Sekmen announced her departure from the party and the Green parliamentary faction on Monday – in the midst of political disputes between the Union and the Greens before the important state elections in the fall. The district association in Mannheim expressed disappointment with Sekmen's decision. "Melis Sekmen was elected to the Bundestag via the Green state list," read a statement. "Therefore, we demand that Melis Sekmen resigns from her Bundestag mandate, so that another person from the elected Green list can represent us in the Bundestag instead."

Parliamentarians leaving the faction is rare. The Union was able to gain access to a parliamentarian from another faction as late as the end of 1996. At that time, former East German civil rights activist Vera Lengsfeld also switched from the Greens to the Union. Lengsfeld, who was a member of the Bundestag from 1990 to 2005, left the CDU at the end of last year. After the departure of CSU parliamentarians Andreas Scheuer and Stefan Müller in April and May, the CDU/CSU faction had 195 members.

"For a debate culture without drawers"

Sekmen stated: "We need a debate culture in which people can express their opinion and their concerns without being put in drawers. She added: "These voices must come from a strong center and not from the extreme ends of politics. People should be defined by their actions, their achievements, and not by their origin. This is what the new fundamental program of the CDU stands for."

In the Bundestag, Melis Sekmen was until recently a Green Party member and spokesperson in the Economic Committee, and since 2022, she has been the chairperson of the Parliamentary Circle "Foundations & Start-ups. Since 2011, the deputy was a Green Party member, from 2011 to 2014, Sekmen was spokesperson for the Green Youth in her hometown. In 2014, she was elected to the Mannheim City Council, and from 2019 to 2022, she was its faction leader.

CDU chair praises Sekmen

The parliamentary business manager of the Green Bundestag faction, Irene Mihalic, expressed her regret over Sekmen's switch to the Union. "We deeply regret Melis Sekmen's departure, but of course we respect her decision," she told the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND). "Within the faction, we will now consult on how to handle this organizationally."

The Baden-Württemberg CDU chair, Manuel Hagel, stated, "I have gotten to know Melis Sekmen as an absolute power woman. Her biography tells an entirely authentic and successful rising story, which fits well with our region. We share the goal of making this possible for as many people as possible here with us. Melis doesn't care where someone comes from, what someone's name is, or what Papa or Mama earn – it's all about where someone wants to go. Her heart beats for German start-ups, and the deputy advocates for good framework conditions for innovation and creativity."

  1. Melis Sekmen, a 30-year-old woman from Mannheim, is expected to attend a Union faction meeting in Berlin, reported by the German Press Agency.
  2. Sekmen, who has Turkish roots and was born in Mannheim, has been a member of the Bundestag since 2021, representing the Greens.
  3. The Green district association Mannheim is demanding that Sekmen, now a former Green parliamentarian, resigns from her Bundestag mandate.
  4. Union faction leader Friedrich Merz welcomes Sekmen as a potential new member, expressing her family history and issues align with CDU values.
  5. The CSU and CDU factions had 195 members after the departures of Andreas Scheuer and Stefan Müller, but gained another with Sekmen's potential switch.
  6. Vera Lengsfeld, a former East German civil rights activist and Green parliamentarian, also switched to the Union in 1996.
  7. Sekmen, as a Green Party member in the Bundestag, advocated for good framework conditions for innovation and creativity, focusing on German start-ups.

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