The process for electing judges to Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court has been marred by unexpected setbacks, prompting criticism from within the political landscape. The postponement of the election, scheduled for Friday, follows a contentious sequence of events that have raised questions about the coordination between major political factions.
Christian Dürr, chairman of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), expressed concern regarding the manner in which the election was ultimately cancelled. He emphasized the constitutional framework designed to ensure a broad, cross-party consensus through a two-thirds majority. Dürr stated that the actions of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) appeared lacking in planning and have potentially damaged the trust surrounding the judicial selection process.
The situation unfolded after the Constitutional Court Election Committee initially reached a consensus with a two-thirds majority in support of three candidates proposed by the governing coalition. However, in a surprise move on Friday morning, Jens Spahn, parliamentary group leader of the CDU, withdrew his support for one of the candidates. This subsequent move resulted in the postponement of the election for all three vacant judge positions.