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German Bundestag, right side: This is where the AfD and FDP factions have previously sat
Photo: CLEMENS BILAN / EPA
The Union has spoken out against changes to the seating arrangements in the Bundestag.
The parliamentary managing director Stefan Müller (CSU) said on Tuesday: »The seating arrangement in the German Bundestag is not a carousel that should be turned around at will.
There is no conclusive reason to change the familiar seating arrangement. "
So far, the AfD sits on the far right - as seen from the President of the Bundestag -, next to it the FDP, then the Union, the Greens, the SPD and on the left the left-wing parliamentary group.
Left supports FDP
More than a week ago, the FDP parliamentary group said that exploratory talks with the SPD and the Greens were currently a priority for the Liberals.
At a later point in time, however, the parliamentary group is certainly striving to change the seating arrangement, "because we see ourselves as the force of the political center."
In addition, the FDP parliamentary group had had very bad experiences as a neighbor of the AfD in the plenary hall over the past four years.
The sayings from the ranks of the AfD parliamentary group are often "simply unbearable," especially for female MPs.
The Left supports a new seating arrangement in the Bundestag and wants to help the FDP to give up its seat next to the AfD to the CDU and CSU.
"Every democrat who no longer wants to sit next to the AfD has my full support," said the parliamentary manager of the left parliamentary group, Jan Korte.
The swap of seats is politically sensitive in connection with the formation of a traffic light coalition.
Because the FDP is on the one hand on the fact that the SPD and the Greens give the new partner the majority needed to move against the Union.
On the other hand, the three traffic light parties want to create the impression that they are forming a coalition of the middle - this would be visually underlined by the fact that they then occupy the middle seats in the Bundestag.
svs / dpa / Reuters
