The new Saxon state parliament began its work with an appeal for fairness and decency. At the beginning of the constituent session, the age president Wolf-Dietrich Rost (71) took the floor. The CDU politician congratulated the MPs on their election and wished them "many good ideas, strength, perseverance, passion and success" in the exercise of their mandate.
The six parliamentary groups would represent a broad political spectrum and consensus would certainly not be the rule, said Rost. "There is no doubt that parliament is a place where we should and must engage in political debate and struggle for the better arguments." But there are rules. "Fairness and decency towards one another should always guide speech and action in the House."
According to Rost, the willingness to put up with the opinions of others, to weigh up the arguments and to take a different perspective on things has unfortunately declined in recent years. "As MPs, we should act differently and set a good example. A freely elected parliament has a duty to debate, to discuss content and to form opinions. "We are all representatives of the people as a whole. We must recognize the wishes, concerns and needs of the people and deal with them responsibly in parliament."
"Citizens want answers to the many questions that concern them," emphasized Rost. Challenges in the areas of internal security, education, the economy and health are on people's minds and demand solutions. "Many in the country fear that they will not be able to maintain what they have built up over the past 30 years. Only with a policy that recognizes these concerns and finds solutions can we achieve greater social cohesion again."
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