Clara Bünger, a Member of the Bundestag, and the deputy group chair for the Left Party (Die Linke), plans to run again for a spot on the Parliamentary Control Committee (PKGr), which oversees intelligence services. According to reporting by “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” the Left party’s executive board made this decision on Monday.
Bünger stated that running in the election is important not for her personally, but for ensuring the operational capacity of parliament itself. She emphasized that the Committee can only fulfill its mission if the opposition is actively involved. According to Bünger, controlling intelligence services is not merely about party tactics, but about building trust, accountability, and a strong parliament capable of scrutinizing a particularly sensitive area of state power.
She noted that the Left Party’s group chair, Heidi Reichinnek, failed to gain candidacy in the committee last June, and Bünger herself also missed the required majority in November. Currently, the PKGr has a limited opposition presence: the four opposition members are Konstantin von Notz (Greens), alongside three members from the CDU/CSU coalition and two members from the SPD. Given that the committee gains access to highly sensitive information, it operates under strict secrecy in a secure listening facility.
