Overview

• The Bundestag's committees are being constituted this week, with the far-right AfD seeking to chair six committees, including key ones like Budget and Interior.
• Wolfgang Kubicki of the FDP and Jens Spahn of the CDU/CSU have proposed allowing the AfD limited roles, such as deputy chair positions, to assess their parliamentary suitability.
• Kubicki argues that committee leaders and deputies can be removed by majority vote, providing a mechanism to hold AfD members accountable if necessary.
• The AfD previously chaired committees after its 2017 Bundestag entry but faced controversy, including the removal of Stephan Brandner from the Legal Affairs Committee in 2019 for misconduct.
• Debate continues over whether granting the AfD proportional representation in leadership roles respects democratic norms or risks legitimizing an extremist-suspect party.