Bundestag decides: Committees for everyone – AfD protests violently!

Bundestag decides: Committees for everyone – AfD protests violently!

On June 5, 2025, the Bundestag approved an interpretative decision by the Committee for Electoral Verification, Immunity and Rules of Procedure. This decision was made with votes from the CDU/CSU, SPD, Alliance 90/The Greens and The Left, while only the AfD parliamentary group voted against it. The resolution relates to the right to propose candidates for the chair and deputy chairs of the standing committees in the access procedure.

The decision is based on a report from the Rules Committee (21/303) and admits that a parliamentary group may not be given the right to propose candidates for both positions in the same committee in the access procedure. This is in line with decades of parliamentary practice, which favors different factional affiliations for the chair and deputy chair. Committee meetings, particularly those on June 1, reinforced this rule.

Background of the decision

The committee chairman Macit Karaahmetoğlu (SPD) and the coalition factions emphasize the great importance of different faction affiliations. One concern that the Union parliamentary group has also raised is the avoidance of vacancies that can arise if one parliamentary group occupies both positions. This division is intended to ensure the committees’ ability to act. The SPD also sees a possible restriction in the committees' ability to act if both positions are occupied by the same faction.

The Green parliamentary group spokesman emphasizes that the existing practice binds all political groups and that there is no exclusion of the opposition. On the other hand, the AfD criticizes the decision and sees a lack of justification for the election decision. She emphasizes that the non-election of certain candidates is the cause of vacancies.

The role of the committees in the Bundestag

The Bundestag's technical work is largely carried out in the committees, which are more technically organized than the parliamentary groups. Examples include the Legal Affairs Committee, the Budget Committee and the Petitions Committee. The composition of these committees is based on the proportional representation of the parliamentary groups, which means that the composition must reflect the relationship between the parliamentary groups in the plenary session. This is called the principle of mirror image.

The committee chairmanship is of constitutional importance because it can influence the parliamentary control rights of a minority. Despite this, a committee chair has the same voting rights as other members. The nomination of committee members is usually the responsibility of the parliamentary groups, while the Bundestag decides on the establishment of committees within the framework of its autonomy in the rules of procedure. Constitutionally required committees include the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Petitions Committee.

The Bundestag's new decision shows how important the distribution of power and responsibility within parliamentary structures is. This ensures that the different political views are also reflected in the operational business of the committees.