German politics in the Bundestag have recently been the subject of controversy, with the AfD party expressing discontent over the allocation of a new meeting room. In response, Alexander Hoffmann, the CSU’s group leader, has rejected these claims, stating that the current room is sufficient for the AfD’s needs.
Hoffmann pointed out that the CSU had previously experienced similar space constraints, citing the example of 2013 when the party had to accommodate a larger number of members in a smaller room. He emphasized that the current meeting room is comparable to the one used by the CSU at the time.
While Hoffmann has rejected the AfD’s demand for the larger Otto-Wels-Saal, he has left the door open for a potential room swap in the future. He noted that the differences between the SPD and AfD are not significant and that the SPD, as the governing party, has additional staff members attending its meetings. If a permanent change in the size of the parties’ delegations were to occur, a room swap could be considered.
Hoffmann also defended the Bundestag’s decision not to elect AfD representatives to the committee, stating that each member of parliament has the freedom to choose whether to support a particular candidate or not. He emphasized that the AfD’s stance on not electing CSU candidates is well-known and not disputed by anyone. However, he added that a party seeking to manipulate people and divide the country cannot expect to be automatically elected.