The parliamentary group leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), Matthias Miersch, has criticized calls for the resignation of Federal Constitutional Court candidate Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf, following a meeting between the candidate and representatives of the Catholic Church. He expressed his expectation that the governing coalition partners should emulate the actions of the church leaders.
“It deserves respect that high-ranking representatives of the Catholic Church sought direct dialogue with Professor Brosius-Gersdorf and acknowledged they had been misinformed” Miersch told Bavarian media outlets. “This is a strong and sincere sign in times when targeted disinformation and campaigns from the far-right are poisoning the discourse.
Miersch urged representatives of the opposition, particularly within the conservative bloc, to reconsider their approach, suggesting they engage in dialogue with the candidate rather than routinely joining calls for her resignation. He argued that doing so is essential for a respectful and democratic handling of a highly qualified candidate.
Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt of the Christian Social Union (CSU) previously advised Brosius-Gersdorf to step down to avoid further “polarization” of society. Chancellor Friedrich Merz declined to comment on the candidate’s meeting with church representatives during a summer press conference, stating that any conversations with the conservative parliamentary group were a matter for the group itself to determine.
Constitutional law expert Alexander Thiele has cautioned against a premature withdrawal of Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf from her nomination for the Federal Constitutional Court. In comments to “Rheinische Post”, Thiele emphasized that the issue concerns the surrounding handling of the situation, rather than the candidate’s qualifications as a scholar. He warned that a hasty retreat would be “highly problematic” and could have implications for future nominations.
Thiele argued that the situation is “not automatically resolved” simply by Brosius-Gersdorf’s resignation and questioned the type of candidate that could be found who holds absolutely no political views. He also advised against altering the election process for constitutional judges, defending the two-thirds majority requirement as a “guarantee for the balanced jurisprudence” of the court. This directly countered a previous statement by Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer, who had supported simpler majority requirements.
According to Thiele, achieving balanced rulings necessitates a willingness to compromise, particularly when viewpoints are diverse. He suggested that the conservative bloc may need to re-evaluate its relationship with the Left Party, indicating that a future reconsideration of the incompatibility resolution between the CDU and CSU may be inevitable, regardless of their inclination. He stated that maintaining a system where the conservative parties can consistently decide matters alone will become increasingly difficult.