It is one of the highlights of budget week in the Bundestag: the so-called general debate. The MPs only formally discuss the relatively small budget of the Chancellery, but traditionally the debate is used to fundamentally discuss the government’s work. Even today, sparks were flying between the coalition and opposition factions.
There was a lot going on: Union faction leader Friedrich Merz acted like a statesman, but also sharply attacked the traffic light policy. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) didn’t let that sit. He was tough on Merz, saying the CDU leader didn’t even read the newspaper and was a “mimosa” when he was criticized. AfD leader Alice Weidel then practiced demagoguery. Green co-party leader Britta Haßelmann regretted the “uncertainty” after the Constitutional Court ruling. And FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr was confronted with “an invasion of Martians”. You can read the most important statements from the general debate in the Bundestag here.
