Overview
- AfD and Linke nominees to the Parliamentary Control Committee, which oversees Germany’s intelligence services, fell short in a secret Bundestag vote Thursday.
- The tallies were 162–419 for AfD’s Martin Hess, 167–406 for AfD’s Gerold Otten, and 250–305 for Linke’s Clara Bünger, with 598 votes cast.
- Three of nine seats on the committee remain empty, leaving Green lawmaker Konstantin von Notz as the only opposition member on the panel.
- AfD said the exclusion violates its rights and disclosed it is commissioning a legal review, while Linke leaders said governing parties blocked democratic oversight.
- Seats reflect party size but each nominee must still win a plenary majority, a hurdle that has repeatedly stopped AfD since 2017 as parts of the party are labeled extremist by domestic intelligence and senior CDU figures cite a lack of trust.