Saxony's Justice Minister Katja Meier (Greens) sees the agreement reached by the traffic light parties and the CDU/CSU to protect the Federal Constitutional Court in the Basic Law as very good news. "Democrats are thus not only strengthening the protection of the Federal Constitutional Court against the enemies of our democratic constitutional state, but are also sending an important cross-party signal of unity," said Meier in a statement.
Because of the proposed amendments to the Basic Law, citizens can continue to rely on a strong, independent and functional Federal Constitutional Court, the Minister emphasized.
Protecting the Federal Constitutional Court in "turbulent times"
After confidential consultations, the parliamentary groups of the SPD, Greens, FDP and CDU/CSU agreed to enshrine the number of judges and senates as well as other key requirements regarding the structure of the Federal Constitutional Court in the Basic Law. In doing so, they say they want to ensure the court's independence and ability to function even in turbulent times.
After all, changes that carry the risk of blocking or political instrumentalization would theoretically be possible with a simple majority. In contrast, a two-thirds majority in the Bundestag and Bundesrat is always required to amend or supplement the wording of the Basic Law. The court has 16 judges and two senates.
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