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AfD MP Joachim Wundrak
Photo: Moritz Frankenberg / dpa
The Bundestag has imposed new 2G-plus rules - with direct consequences for the AfD MP Joachim Wundrak.
According to the parliamentarian, he has not been vaccinated against Sars-CoV-2.
Now he will take part in the meetings of the Foreign Affairs Committee surrounded by Plexiglas, reports the news portal "t-online".
"I accept this compromise as a pragmatist, in the sense of the matter, in order to be able to exercise my mandate," said Wundrak.
From the first meeting of the committee under 2G-plus conditions in mid-January, Wundrak had previously been excluded at short notice.
In the Bundestag, only those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered with a negative test today or a booster vaccination have access to the plenary hall and the regular seats in the committees.
Anyone who does not bow to this can follow the parliamentary debates from the stands - several AfD MPs have been sitting there for weeks.
That's not possible in the Foreign Affairs Committee's rooms; the meeting room has no stands. The committee also meets in secret. That is why it is not possible to connect MPs digitally, which is common in other bodies. When Wundrak announced at the first meeting under the new rule that he was not vaccinated, he had to go – until a compromise could be worked out.
Committee chairman Michael Roth (SPD) defended the decision to exclude Wundrak from the meeting.
»We couldn't find a sensible solution to the problem so quickly.
As chairman, I feel obliged to protect the members of parliament," he said "t-online".
He therefore suggested in the group of chairmen of all factions that Wundrak could not participate.
“All the chairmen agreed with the procedure – except for the head of the AfD.”
However, a permanent exclusion might not be covered by the constitution.
In principle, all parliamentarians must be allowed to work.
The mobile solution that has now been found is currently the "only possible practicable measure in a hall where there is no gallery," said Roth.
Significantly more MPs could soon be affected by the 2G Plus rule.
In contrast to the rest of the country, the Bundestag currently has a convalescent status of six months.
However, the Council of Elders also wants to deal with a reduction from 180 to 90 days.
For many who are currently still recovered, the status will then expire.
mrc/AFP
