A German politician, Roderich Kiesewetter, has expressed disappointment and criticism after being overlooked for re-nomination to the Parliamentary Control Committee, a position he previously held as Vice-Chair. Kiesewetter, a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), had been a vocal critic of Russian threats and had advocated for the supply of military aid to Ukraine, including the Taurus missile system. He had also publicly disagreed with his party’s stance on an AfD (Alternative for Germany) ban and voted against a CDU-backed proposal for a tougher migration policy.
According to an unnamed CDU member, the decision not to re-nominate Kiesewetter was personally made by the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, marking an unprecedented executive interference in parliamentary affairs. Kiesewetter is set to take on a new role as the head of the CDU’s foreign affairs committee in the Bundestag.
In a statement, Kiesewetter told the Tageszeitung, “This is the price one pays for having an opinion.” Dirk Wiese, a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and a colleague of Kiesewetter in the control committee, acknowledged the personal nature of the decision, saying, “I always worked well and in good faith with Roderich Kiesewetter. Ultimately, it is a personnel decision of the CDU.”
Marc Henrichmann, a CDU member from North Rhine-Westphalia, is set to take over the chairmanship of the control committee, a position previously held by Konstantin von Notz of the Green Party. The new members of the committee, responsible for overseeing the work of the intelligence services, are expected to be elected in the Bundestag next week.