After the Bundestag session was paused before the planned debate on the so-called “Zustrombegrenzungsgesetz” on the Union’s proposal, the faction leadership is preparing its members for long negotiation rounds. Apparently, all MPs from CDU and CSU were asked to cancel their evening appointments for Friday, as reported by “Bild” on Friday.
This could also mean the cancellation of the appearance of Union’s chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz in the evening in Erfurt. During the faction meeting, the First Parliamentary Business Manager, Torsten Frei (CDU), announced that negotiations would be resumed with the faction leaders of SPD, Greens and FDP. This was met with applause in the faction, according to the report.
The debate on the law was originally scheduled to begin at 10:30 am. After the FDP announced that it would delay the vote until the next session, the Union requested a pause in the ongoing session. The initially planned 30-minute pause was repeatedly extended for additional negotiations.
The Union and FDP are under criticism, as they passed a resolution on migration limitation together with the AfD on Wednesday. In response, over 80,000 people protested across the country on Thursday, with around 150 more demonstrations planned for the weekend. Former Chancellor Merkel stepped in on Thursday, reminding Merz of his “state political responsibility” that he expressed in November 2024, aiming to prevent a situation where “only once a random or actually engineered majority with those from the AfD” would arise.