Overview

• In a new FAZ interview, Bundestagspräsidentin Julia Klöckner denies acting along party lines and calls for robust yet respectful debate that protects broad free speech.
• She disputes reports that she directly compared the taz with the portal Nius, saying she warned about harmful block formation in the media rather than equating their methods.
• Defending her leadership of the chamber, Klöckner says the presidium agreed on a strict but fair approach, noting that 12 of 13 reprimands have gone to the AfD and stressing rules against political messaging via clothing.
• Criticism from SPD, Greens and Left leaders continues, with Robert Habeck labeling her a “Fehlbesetzung,” a charge she did not address in the interview.
• Political pressure has been fueled by her refusal to fly the rainbow flag on the Reichstag and her appearance at a CDU event on the site of a reported Nius financier, as a Forsa survey finds 45% doubt her impartiality, including 25% of CDU supporters.