Bundestag President Julia Klöckner has warned that she is prepared to expel the entire parliamentary groups of the AfD and the Left Party from the chamber if disruptions escalate, Tagesspiegel reported on Tuesday. According to the outlet, Klöckner said she would act if the situation got out of hand. The warning was directed at both parties.
The remarks follow repeated interruptions during Bundestag sessions. Tagesspiegel reported that shouting from AfD members in particular tried Klöckner's patience, a point also picked up by the Frankfurter Rundschau. Several German outlets, including tagesschau.de, Spiegel and DIE ZEIT, carried the story under the theme of debate culture in the parliament.
Under the Bundestag's rules of order, the president chairs sessions and can call members to order or remove them for disruptive behavior. Expelling a whole group would be an unusually severe step. The reports do not describe a specific incident that triggered the threat, and no timeline for possible action was given.
The episode adds to an ongoing debate about conduct in the chamber. Watch for whether Klöckner follows through on the warning, and how the AfD and the Left respond in upcoming sessions.
