- The constitutional safeguards resist defeat for the AfD
The faction associated with the AfD in the state parliament's legislature unsuccessfully attempted to halt the installation of a watchdog committee for constitutional protection oversight. This endeavor was dismissed, as confirmed by the Weimar-based Constitutional Court. The concern here is the Parliamentary Oversight Commission, which commenced operations with four members instead of the pre-arranged five, following the judges' ruling, according to the state parliament.
The court's verdict was provided devoid of a written argument due to the sense of urgency surrounding the matter. Further details related to this decision will be released at a later time.
Now, the committee is operational
The AfD, categorized as a right-wing extremist group that is under surveillance by Thuringia's Verfassungsschutz, perceives the establishment of an incompletely staffed oversight committee as inappropriate parliamentary supervision of the Verfassungsschutz office and a flagrant infringement of their rights. Previous elections in the state parliament saw numerous failed bids by the AfD for a seat on the committee. However, following a revision in the rules, even candidates from the Left and Greens encountered similar hindrances.
According to the state parliament, SPD parliamentarian Dorothea Marx was elected as the chairwoman of the oversight committee, while CDU parliamentarian Raymond Walk was chosen as her deputy.
Using a two-thirds majority, four members from SPD, CDU, and FDP secured their positions on the constitutional protection oversight committee. Long-standing complications with the composition of the Parliamentary Oversight Commission have persisted for years.
The AfD controversialy views the Landtag's decision to form an understaffed oversight committee as a violation of their rights, as they often failed to secure a seat on such committees in the past. Despite their objections, SPD parliamentarian Dorothea Marx was appointed as the committee chairwoman, and the Landtag successfully formed the committee with a two-thirds majority, including representatives from SPD, CDU, and FDP.
