Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD) has criticized the relief packages of the traffic light coalition in the fight against the energy crisis.
“I would have liked more differentiation in order to specifically help the weakest,” said Bas of the “Bild am Sonntag”. She was open to another, fourth package that would help poorer citizens in particular. “In order to cushion the worst of it, especially for people on low incomes, we have to be prepared to do more if the crises progress.”
The SPD politician, who holds the second highest state office, was alarmed about the social situation in the country: “Many people in Germany have not been able to spontaneously go out to eat in a restaurant or watch a film in the cinema for a long time. Many older people are considering whether they can afford a piece of cake at the bakery, because otherwise the pension will not last until the end of the month. I find that dramatic.” Bas appealed to the federal government to also protect tenants against high energy prices.
The President of the Parliament also called for a rapid reform of the electoral law in order to reduce the number of members of the Bundestag to just under 600. Of course, she would like the broadest possible parliamentary majority. “Only to be honest: If we wait for it, we might not get electoral reform again. That would not help anyone,” Bas told the newspaper. The Bundestag is one of the largest parliaments in the world because it has continued to swell based on the current electoral law. The parliamentary groups have not yet come to a common denominator in the reform that has been planned for years.
