Overview

• Bundestag vice president Bodo Ramelow proposed submitting the national anthem and flag to a popular vote tied to a new constitution under Article 146, suggesting Bertolt Brecht’s Kinderhymne as an option.
• After broad criticism, Ramelow clarified he sings the current third stanza with enthusiasm and said he would personally vote to defend Schwarz‑Rot‑Gold.
• CDU general secretary Carsten Linnemann accused Ramelow of seeking a culture fight and said those uneasy with the flag and anthem have a problem with the constitutional order.
• The Bundestag presidency indicated there is no reason to change anthem or flag, and the AfD dismissed the proposal as summer‑lull rhetoric.
• Ramelow justified raising the issue by citing reported unease among some East Germans, while media reactions and reader polls, including one from Bild showing overwhelming opposition, underscored public pushback.