Julia Klöckner: New Bundestag president with clear visions!

Julia Klöckner wurde am 25.03.2025 zur neuen Bundestagspräsidentin gewählt und setzt auf mehr Vertrauen in die Demokratie.
Julia Klöckner was elected as the new Bundestag president on March 25, 2025 and relies on more confidence in democracy. (Symbolbild/ANAG)

Julia Klöckner: New Bundestag president with clear visions!

On March 25, 2025, Julia Klöckner was elected as the new Bundestag president. This happened in the constituent meeting of the newly elected Bundestag, where it received 382 votes in favor. 204 MPs voted against them, while 31 members of the voice abstained. The SPD leader Lars Klingbeil was among the first congratulators of their election. CDU boss Friedrich Merz also did not miss the opportunity to congratulate Klöckner with a bouquet of flowers and a kiss.

In her inaugural speech, Klöckner expressed concerns about the dwindling trust of citizens in democracy. She emphasized that a choice was not only an event, but also a commitment to the voters. In addition, she announced that she was impartial and unexcited, and intended not to immediately condemn deviating opinions as "extremist". Klöckner wants to exercise the "connecting" office and establish a new relationship between citizens and their representatives.

an important choice

Julia Klöckner took the place as the fourth woman in the history of the Bundestag, according to Annemarie Renger, Rita Süssmuth and Bärbel Bas. Her political career includes various positions, including from 2002 to 2011 as a member of the Bundestag and from 2017 to 2021 as Federal Minister of Agriculture under Angela Merkel. Klöckner was also deputy CDU chairwoman and federal treasurer from 2012 to 2022.

The choice fell into a time when the tone of the tone in the Bundestag has become rougher. This can be observed in particular since the AfD moved in 2017. In the 20th parliamentary term, 134 order calls were imposed, compared to only 49 to the previous election period; 85 of them against members of the AfD parliamentary group alone. Klöckner could consider increasing the fine from 1,000 to 2,000 euros in order to regulate the behavior of the MPs.

voting right reform in the focus

A point that Klöckner was important in her inaugural speech was the reform of the right to vote. There was a debate about the need for such a reform. The traffic light coalition had introduced a new right to vote in 2023, which was not considered necessary in order to remedy an unconstitutional state. The Federal Constitutional Court had already assessed the right to vote by the CDU/CSU and SPD from 2020.

The right to vote of 2020 allowed three uniform overhang mandates and included measures to limit the expansion of parliament. In comparison, the change in the election of 2023 led to a noticeable reduction in the number of MPs in Parliament, which was the legislator's declared goal. The political influence on the design of the voting rights could lead to further discussions in the Bundestag in the coming months.

With her election as President of the Bundestag, Klöckner will play a central role in the design of these crucial questions, while at the same time trying to improve the tone and the culture of dispute in the Bundestag.

Nahewenews.de reports that Klöckner wants to significantly shape the political landscape in Germany in this key position. Also zdf.de emphasizes how much Klöckner would like to help shape the new era of the Bundestag. The discussion about the voting right reform is founded by the article on further initiated.

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