- Many MPs agree with Stasi surveillance
In Saxony-Anhalt, 36 members of parliament have so far given their consent to an investigation into possible Stasi activity. 15 parliamentarians have not done so yet, said the chairman of the committee, Marco Tullner (CDU), to the German Press Agency. 46 members are too young to be considered for such an investigation. The state parliament has a total of 97 members.
The investigation is conducted on a voluntary basis. In the coming weeks, the applications will be forwarded to the Stasi Records Authority.
The Stasi - the abbreviation for the Ministry for State Security - was the intelligence service and secret police of the GDR in the service of the SED. It monitored broad sections of the population and harassed critics of the system.
In December, a committee to investigate members of parliament for possible Stasi activity was established with the votes of the CDU, SPD, FDP, Greens, and AfD.
Seven members of the Left party voted no, four abstained. The Left party justified their position by stating that all their candidates should have the opportunity to speak about the topic and their biography at party conferences.
The committee established to investigate parliamentarians for potential Stasi involvement includes members from various parties, except for the Left party, who expressed concern over not giving their candidates a chance to discuss their past at party conferences. The investigation into Stasi activity is not limited to the current parliamentarians, as it also pertains to the period when the Stasi was the intelligence service and secret police of the GDR.
