The Social Democratic Party (SPD) has criticized Education Minister Karin Prien (CDU) for allegedly planning to reorient the “Demokratie leben” (Living Democracy) program in a manner inconsistent with the established coalition agreement. According to Felix Döring, the SPD faction’s spokesperson, the planned reductions in the program raise concerns, suggesting they constitute a retaliatory measure aimed at critical civil society actors. Döring stated that such a measure contradicts the SPD’s understanding of democratic culture.
Furthermore, addressing the national protests against the CDU held the previous year, Döring emphasized the importance and correctness of civil society groups taking clear positions when the CDU/CSU faction sought and achieved a majority in the German Bundestag by including the AfD. For him, criticism originating from civil society is an essential indicator of a vibrant democracy and must not be delegitimized.
Recalling the terms of the coalition agreement, Döring pointed out that any intent to question or eliminate central pillars of this program should have been brought up during the initial coalition negotiations. He found it unreasonable that the minister was broadly labeling specialized personnel within the program as “left-wing” rather than acknowledging their professional expertise and valuable work.
