Crown: Wolfgang Schäuble insists on being available to wear a mask

Stand: 3:54 pm | Reading time: 2 minutes

AMembers of parliament and employees of the AfD parliamentary group must continue to comply with the mask requirement in the Bundestag. The president of the Bundestag, Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU), does not withdraw his general decree to wear oral and nasal protection.

The Bundestag’s legal department rejected a request from 19 deputies and nine AfD employees to sign a cease-and-desist declaration and compromise. Schäuble’s blanket order to wear mouth and nose protection was formally and materially legal, the Bundestag administration announced on Friday on request.

The lawyer for the deputies and employees of the AfD parliamentary group, who had sent a “warning” to Schäuble, had been informed that their clients had to continue to comply with the regulations. I should point this out to you. According to the information, the lawyer was also informed that the request for a declaration of cease and desist did not constitute a legal recourse against a general order. Legal remedies are open to their clients through the administrative courts.

Lawyer: The mask requirement invades parliamentary rights

AfD’s lawyer had argued that Schäuble had housing rights in the Bundestag. However, this does not extend to the question of the dress in which the deputies exercise their mandate. His blanket decree also unjustifiably interferes with the rights of members of parliament. Also, there is no scientific basis for wearing a mask. Schäuble was also unable to demonstrate that there is a particularly high risk of infection in the Bundestag to justify the requirement for a mask.

The warning resulted from the fact that several MPs and employees of the AfD parliamentary group in the Bundestag no longer wanted to wear the prescribed mouth and nose protection as of next week in parliament.

It contained the request, provided with an ultimatum, to file a cease and desist declaration with which Schäuble should promise to revoke the general decree on the mask requirement. The CDU politician has a deadline of 8 am on Friday.

The mask requirement in the Bundestag is in force from October 6

The mask requirement ordered by Schäuble is in effect from October 6. Since then, mouth and nose protection must be worn in all Bundestag buildings, including the plenary hall. However, MEPs can remove them if they have taken a seat, in the plenary hall and in the meeting rooms, or are standing at the lectern. At the beginning of the last week of the session, several AfD MPs demonstrated that they did not adhere to this rule and entered the plenary room without a mask.

The vice president of the SPD parliamentary group, Katja Mast, harshly criticized the behavior of the AfD. “That is irresponsible. It shows once again the ruthless face of the AfD, ”said the SPD politician. His own parliamentary group is fully committed to the mask requirement. “There are clear rules. We must not allow the AfD to again damage the exemplary role and dignity of Parliament. “