In light of the nepotism accusations against the AfD, the Union is now considering tightening the German Members of Parliament Act. Although the Bundestag has long had provisions-for example, barring the employment of spouses-Steffen Bilger, the first parliamentary secretary of the Union faction, told “Handelsblatt” (Wednesday edition) that new evidence warrants a review of existing rules. “Given what we are finding now, we want to check whether the current regulations need to be tightened” Bilger said.
The SPD had previously floated legislation to make the law stricter. Bilger was very critical of the AfD, describing the AfD’s “relative scandal” as revealing a level of ruthlessness in MP employment that had never before been imagined in parliament. At the same time, a Union spokesperson assured reporters that, as far as the party knows, there are no past cases or any from the 21st electoral term in the CDU/CSU faction that would point to cross‑employment.
The Greens gave a similar statement. “We have no indications that members of our faction are violating the rules that are in place” said Irene Mihalic, the Greens’ faction chief, to the newspaper. She added that, while the current rules are already strict, the party “is keen to see concrete amendment proposals” and will, of course, examine them openly.