BERLIN — Germany’s new parliament on Tuesday elected as its speaker a conservative former minister, who called for civilized debate in what is likely to be a confrontational term after a far-right, anti-immigration party doubled in strength in last month’s election.
The post of speaker - in protocol terms Germany’s second-highest, behind the president and ahead of the chancellor - traditionally goes to the strongest group in parliament’s lower house, or Bundestag. After the Feb. 23 election, that is the center-right Union bloc of the country’s likely next leader, Friedrich Merz.
Merz’s choice was Julia Klöckner, 52, who was agriculture minister from 2018 to 2021 in then-Chancellor Angela Merkel’s final government. Lawmakers elected her by 382 votes to 204, with 31 abstentions.
People were interested in these podcasts
Klöckner promised lawmakers she would carry out her duties in a “non-partisan, calm and undaunted” way.
The atmosphere in the Bundestag has become considerably more heated since the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, first won seats in 2017. It finished second in last month’s election, doubling its share of the vote to 20.8%, and now holds 152 of the 630 seats.
“There is a very clear yardstick for me: decency,” Klöckner said.
“We must conduct and endure controversial discourse … according to clear rules,” she added. “I will take care that we deal with each other in a civilized way - and if we don’t do that, learn to.”
It’s not clear when the Bundestag will be able to elect a new chancellor. Merz is still in talks to form a coalition with the center-left Social Democrats of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz. His party has stressed that it’s more important to get a coalition deal right than to rush the process.
Scholz and his Cabinet will receive their dismissal certificates from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier later in the day. But as is customary, the head of state tasked the outgoing government with remaining in office until a new chancellor is in place.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.