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German Coalition in Crisis After Last-Minute Court Vote Postponement

A last-minute halt to SPD judge Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf’s confirmation exposes deep frictions over abortion rights, reliance on fringe party support, uncertainty over securing a two-thirds majority

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivers the inaugural speech at the Bundesrat, the upper house of parliament, in Berlin, Germany, July 11, 2025. REUTERS/Nadja Wohlleben

Overview

  • Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU/CSU bloc abruptly postponed Friday’s Bundestag vote on SPD-nominated judge Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf after plagiarism allegations surfaced the night before.
  • Austrian self-declared “plagiarism hunter” Stefan Weber published claims of lifted bibliographic references in Brosius-Gersdorf’s thesis, allegations that remain unverified and have been dismissed by many commentators.
  • Key conservative lawmakers have signaled discomfort with Brosius-Gersdorf’s liberal stance on abortion rights, intensifying ideological rifts within the ruling coalition.
  • Senior SPD figures denounced the postponement as unfair treatment of a qualified jurist and warned it undermines the Federal Constitutional Court’s integrity.
  • With Merz’s coalition holding only 52 percent of seats, lawmakers may now need support from the AfD or The Left to meet the constitutionally required two-thirds majority for appointments.