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New Bundestag Vice Ziegler: Flowers from SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich
Photo: Michael Kappeler / dpa
After the surprising death of Thomas Oppermann, the vice-office in the Bundestag Presidium has been filled.
The SPD politician Dagmar Ziegler was elected with 536 votes of the MPs.
83 parliamentarians voted against them, with 38 abstentions.
Ziegler has been in the Bundestag since 2009.
Initially, as a parliamentary group vice-president, she was responsible for the issues of family, women, education and development in the East.
She has been one of the parliamentary directors of her group since 2013.
Narrow victory in their own faction
Previously, Ziegler had made a career in Brandenburg state politics: The financial economist was a member of the state parliament for 15 years.
From 2000 to 2004 she was Minister of Finance, then Minister for Labor, Social Affairs, Health and Family until 2009.
Ziegler is - like Oppermann was - a member of the conservative Seeheimer Kreis in the SPD.
She had been proposed by the SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich as the new Bundestag deputy, which had sparked internal resistance.
Ziegler's nomination by his parliamentary colleagues had almost failed recently.
AfD again does not bring a member of the presidium
In the runoff election with the former Minister of Health Ulla Schmidt, a first ballot ended in a draw.
Schmidt then withdrew her candidacy and recommended Ziegler's election.
In the vote in parliament, however, the AfD again failed to send a representative to the Presidium of the Bundestag.
The MP Harald Weyel clearly missed the required majority in the election for Vice President.
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