In Germany, the introduction of the mandatory corona vaccination has clearly failed. On Thursday, 378 MPs voted against compulsory vaccination from the age of 60 in the German Bundestag, only 296 MPs voted in favor and nine abstained. For example, the traffic light coalition of Chancellor Olaf Scholz suffered its first major defeat. Moments later, a vaccination application from the opposition Conservative Union was rejected.
Scholz had Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called back from the NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels especially before the vote to increase the chances of accepting the compromise proposal. Before the vote, the ruling parties had lifted the parliamentary group’s discipline because of their huge internal disagreements on the issue. While the right-wing populist AfD and left were clearly against compulsory vaccination, the conservative union parties pushed for their own proposal.
“Fight Much Harder Now”
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach expressed his disappointment. “It is a very important decision, because now the fight against Corona will become much more difficult in the autumn. Pointing the finger politically does not help. We will continue,” the SPD politician wrote on Twitter at the beginning of the afternoon. Like Chancellor Scholz, he had vehemently advocated mandatory vaccination.
The debate was heated but factual. The proponents of mandatory vaccination from the age of 60 warned of an imminent new escalation of the pandemic in the autumn, for which one should be prepared. The opponents, on the other hand, referred to the violation of fundamental rights by mandatory vaccination and emphasized the uncertainty whether the corona situation would escalate again at all.
Four requests
A total of four applications were submitted. A compromise proposal by politicians from the SPD, Greens and FDP had the best chance of success. However, due to strong resistance, especially within the FDP group, a majority seemed only within reach with the support of Conservative Union MPs. The Union’s group leader, Friedrich Merz, however, put an end to such advances by requiring his MPs to say no.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
