Overview
- In an interview with Die Zeit published Tuesday and reported by WELT/dpa, former Hesse minister-president Volker Bouffier said he is disappointed in parliamentary leader Jens Spahn.
- Bouffier criticized the Union leadership's communication ahead of key Bundestag decisions and said the parliamentary leadership is not good.
- The row stemmed from a pension package designed to secure a 48 percent pension level, which younger Union MPs resisted over long-term costs.
- In the Bundestag vote, seven CDU/CSU lawmakers voted no, two young Union members abstained, and the SPD backed the bill unanimously.
- Within the Union the episode was interpreted as a sign of leadership weakness, and Bouffier reaffirmed a categorical rejection of any cooperation with the AfD.