Up to 2,000 euros: state parliament plans fine for rude politicians

Parties - Up to 2,000 euros: state parliament plans fine for rude politicians

The state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia is to receive an administrative fine for rowdy politicians. A state parliament spokesperson confirmed that President André Kuper had made a corresponding proposal to the parliamentary groups. According to dpa, the CDU, SPD, Greens and FDP have agreed on a corresponding amendment to the state parliament's rules of procedure. The first offense would result in a fine of 1000 euros, a repeat offense 2000 euros. The "WAZ" had previously reported.

"There are MPs who deliberately provoke, bring hatred and agitation into the debates and damage the image of the state parliament. For me, the degradation of our parliament is no longer acceptable," said Landtag President Kuper when asked. "Anyone who mocks democracy and ridicules MPs must expect consequences."

He emphasized: "The reprimands and calls to order issued so far are seen by some as trophies. That's why the state parliament needs a sanction that hits the wallet and is really tangible."

The fine would be deducted directly from MPs' salaries so that the politicians receive less. To this end, an offsetting provision is to be added to the MPs Act. According to Marcel Hafke(FDP), the direct deduction is the "sword that ensures that the regulation not only exists on paper, but is effective in everyday political life".

Hafke and the parliamentary leaders of the other parliamentary groups have an appointment today, Tuesday, to discuss the administrative fine and other changes to the parliament's rules of procedure. The other points seem comparatively harmless to outsiders: among other things, it is about deadlines and parliamentary materials.

According to the German press agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur, the administrative fine is to be an escalation stage between being called to order and being ejected from the plenary chamber. According to the state parliament, 47 reprimands and reprimands were issued in the current parliamentary term. In the last parliamentary term, there were 113 disciplinary measures in four years. In the 16th parliamentary term before that, only 23.

The increase in recent years is mainly due to the entry of the AfD into parliament. A large number of the disciplinary measures relate to right-wing populists: In the last legislative period, it was more than half.

Matthias Kerkhoff, Parliamentary Secretary of the CDU parliamentary group, emphasized: "We democrats are united in protecting parliamentary business from an increasing number of provocations and unparliamentary behaviour, especially by the AfD." The fine is a means "against a populist style of politics that relies on constant provocation."

The Parliamentary Secretary of the AfD, Andreas Keith, said: "Until now, provocations, slander and insults directed against us by the other parliamentary groups have often not been punished." The new disciplinary measures are therefore expected "to apply the same standards that are applied to our parliamentary group to the other parliamentary groups".

Mehrdad Mostofizadeh, Parliamentary Secretary of the Greens, said: "We have already spoken out in favor of introducing a disciplinary fine in the past in order to be able to impose stricter sanctions in the future, especially for massive violations of the dignity of the state parliament in plenary and committee meetings. It is unacceptable for constitutional bodies to be disparaged and for this to go unpunished."

Ina Blumenthal, Parliamentary Secretary of the SPD, said: "Anyone who oversteps the boundaries of good decency in the state parliament in a defamatory and disparaging manner must be aware of the consequences in future. Unfortunately, the previous system of verbal warnings has no longer had a deterrent effect, especially on a particular parliamentary group. When it comes to money now, the AfD probably understands this language better."

Incidentally, it should also be possible to appeal against a fine - as was previously the case against a reprimand. The so-called Council of Elders of the state parliament must then decide. In the Bundestag, where a fine has been in place for some time, President Bärbel Bas wants it to be increased: From 1000 to at least 2000 euros for the first offense. "That will really hurt," Bas told Bild am Sonntag in November.