Close election: Bundestag votes for Ataman as anti-discrimination commissioner - criticism in advance

Created: 07/07/2022, 17:58

By: Marcus Giebel

Openly rejected by parts of the Bundestag: Ferda Ataman received the majority of the votes in the election for anti-discrimination officer.

© Jörg Carstensen/dpa

The Bundestag has elected Ferda Ataman as anti-discrimination officer.

The name had sparked controversy in Parliament beforehand.

Munich - Germany again has a Federal Commissioner for Anti-Discrimination.

After controversial discussions in the past few weeks, Ferda Ataman was officially elected in the Bundestag to head the authority belonging to the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs.

The publicist received slightly more than the necessary so-called chancellor majority of 369 votes.

376 MPs voted for the 42-year-old, 278 against her.

There were 14 abstentions.

The General Equal Treatment Act prescribes a chancellor majority for the election of the “Independent Federal Commissioner for Anti-Discrimination”.

This is the majority not only of those present, but of all 736 members of the Bundestag.

The traffic light coalition has a total of 416 MPs, 47 more than would have been needed for the necessary majority.

The election also took place without further debate, as required by law.

Ataman is the new anti-discrimination officer: criticism of the nomination by Union and AfD

Ataman follows Bernhard Franke, who temporarily took over the post in 2018.

From February 2007 to October 2009, Martina Köppen was Germany's anti-discrimination officer, followed in February 2010 by Christine Lüders, who served until May 2018.

At the suggestion of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, the Federal Cabinet nominated Ataman for the post in June.

Union, AfD and also individual representatives of the governing party FDP had sharply criticized the personnel.

They deny Ataman's suitability for the post, calling her a "left-wing activist" and accusing her of playing down "clan crime" and Islamism.

Politicians from the SPD and the Greens had spoken of unfounded claims and a campaign against the publicist.