“The party will get more visibility through increased speaking time in parliament, and [will] have more money at its disposal,” said Wolfgang Schroeder, a political science professor at the University of Kassel. “But it won’t be a quantum leap.”
AfD lawmakers said the new legislation proved the court was an instrument of the political mainstream.
“You are telling an ever-increasing number of voters, citizens of our republic, that this is not their state, that this is not their constitutional court,” said AfD lawmaker Fabian Jacobi in parliament. “What you are projecting to the outside world with what you are doing here is an image of our constitutional court as an instrument of power.”
Former German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann, who led negotiations on the bill before the collapse of Scholz’s government, repeatedly cited Poland and Hungary as cautionary tales of how populist leaders, once elected, work to erode the strength and independence of the courts.
The 16 justices ruling Germany’s constitutional court currently serve 12-year terms. To assure their independence, they cannot be reelected.
The Thursday vote marked the first time the parliament has passed legislation since Scholz’s coalition fell in early November. Lawmakers were also set to approve a series of popular measures, including an increase in monthly child allowance and a reduction in creeping tax increases due to inflation.
