Overview

• Marcel Fratzscher said on X that his suggestion to bar people in their last 18 years of life from voting was a joke and not his proposal, citing a 2019 line from the satirical party Die Partei.
• The DIW said the remarks came during an Absolute Mehrheit “hot takes” segment with very brief answers and said it regretted the misunderstanding.
• Clips posted to the podcast’s Instagram on Monday triggered heavy criticism and media attention, drawing a rebuke from Bavaria’s economics minister Hubert Aiwanger.
• In the same appearance, Fratzscher endorsed voting rights from birth to strengthen youth influence and argued for a voluntary year of service by retirees rather than a mandate for the young.
• He also referenced climate-related solidarity contributions and earlier ideas such as a Boomer‑Soli, which have faced pushback and intensified scrutiny of DIW’s public role.