Faced with accusations of nepotism against the AfD, the Union is now contemplating a tightening of the MPs’ employment rules. The Bundestag already has provisions that, for example, prohibit the employment of spouses. “Given the latest findings we want to examine whether the existing regulations need to be sharpened” said Steffen Bilger, the First Parliamentary Manager of the Union’s Bundestag group, to the “Handelsblatt” in its Wednesday edition. The SPD had earlier proposed a stricter law.
Bilger strongly criticised the AfD, describing the affair involving relatives of party members as “a degree of ruthlessness in dealing with MPs’ employment that has never before been considered possible in the parliament”. He added that, to the best of his knowledge, the CDU/CSU group knows of no past cases-neither from previous terms nor the current 21st legislative period-suggesting cross‑employment within the Bundestag.
Similarly, the Greens said they have no indications that members of their faction are violating current rules. Irene Mihalic, the group’s chairwoman, told the newspaper that, given the existing strict regulations, the party is “keen to review any concrete amendment proposals” and will, of course, examine them openly.
