After the federal election, the AfD will claim the SPD’s caucus room in the Bundestag, the “Otto-Wels-Room” and further move towards the center of the plenum.
“What is there to discuss? The largest faction, the largest room and the second-largest faction, the second-largest meeting room” said party vice Stephan Brandner to the “Rheinische Post” (Thursday edition). “That’s just clear.” It is a parliamentary tradition “and yes, also logical and compelling that the size of a faction determines the meeting room and its size.” In the polls for the federal election on February 23, the AfD is in second place.
Thus far, the SPD has held the largest faction. The Social Democrats have named their room after Otto Wels, the last SPD faction leader of the Reichstag, who made history with his speech against the Nazi Enabling Act.
Brandner said further: “As for the seating arrangement in the plenum, we will certainly expand towards the center when our faction possibly doubles in size.” A spokesperson for the Bundestag administration told the “Rheinische Post” that the distribution of the rooms and the seating arrangement will be decided only after the election. Some of the faction leaders in the newly elected Bundestag will have to come to an agreement on this.