In the Brosius-Gersdorf case, SPD parliamentary group leader Dirk Wiese contradicts Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU).

"Of course, there are always decisions of conscience in the German Bundestag. But honestly, there are also coalition agreements," Wiese said in the Berlin Playbook podcast (Monday) of the news magazine POLITICO. "There are things that are agreed upon." Merz had said on ARD that one cannot give MPs orders from above: "When it comes to such personnel issues, it's also a matter of conscience." Wiese said he expected that commitments would stand and that "no one would hide behind decisions of conscience." The SPD politician accused Union parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn (CDU) of failure: "If we receive a promise that proposals for female judges for the Federal Constitutional Court will receive a majority and then Jens Spahn ultimately has to back down, then that is in a certain sense a loss of trust." Otherwise, in Wiese’s opinion, it will be difficult to form a coalition.

"I would put it this way: if you think it through, votes will actually become difficult to predict. And then narrow majorities will also be difficult," said the SPD politician. Wiese demanded "that the Union supports Ms. Brosius-Gersdorf, invites her to the parliamentary group, and then participates in the vote in September."