District Day Bautzen: Violent debates and controversial decisions!

District Day Bautzen: Violent debates and controversial decisions!

After the elections in the Bautzen district on June 9, 2024, a new chapter in local politics has opened up. The district council, which came together on August 19, 2024, consists of 92 members who organized themselves in five factions. The strongest faction is the AfD with 32 votes, followed by the CDU with 25, the free voters with 10, the alliance Sarah Wagenknecht with 8, the SPD with 6 and the Greens and Left with 3 votes and the FDP with 2. This new interaction brings a breath of fresh air, but also heated debates. This is how [sächsische.de] (https://www.saechsische.de/lokales/bautzen-lk/kreifagtzen-belanz-nahn-jahlreiche-schluesse-hefige-hefige-häftige-häftige- DfQa5q2fkbhejhyaret4isk6h4.html) of numerous offices that are partially formal. pulled.

A drastic decision concerned the deletion of the position of the foreigner representative, which was requested by the AfD. This application was accepted by a short majority in a secret coordination, which met with broad criticism. The Ministry of Social Affairs has now been countered that the decision as to whether a foreigner officer is to be appointed is at the district council. The integration and participation law stipulates that counties must use such a representative in order to promote the integration of migrants and to counteract discrimination. District Administrator Udo Witschas (CDU) commented and underlined that a regulation that has not yet been passed. Mdr.de further reported that the AfD should be the financial responsibility for the position, while the Ministry of Social Affairs would be back in the Free State.

Financial challenges and political Alliancen

In the course of the new budget planning, significant decisions were made. In December 2024, the district council decided on a double budget for the years 2025 and 2026 with a total volume of around 1.3 billion euros and a deficit of around 54 million euros. AfD and BSW managed to reduce a reduction in the circular levy, which, however, led to an income loss of around four million euros. This does not make the financial situation of the district easier. [Wochenkurier.de] (https://www.wochenkurier.info/landkreis-bautzen/artikel/kreifagtzen-debatten-schluesse-und-unerwartte- Alliances) also reports of household barriers and the suspension of renovations on schools and streets, which is increasing the worries of the citizens.

The disagreement within the CDU parliamentary group is particularly striking. While some of their members support clear decisions, other rather reserved tendencies show. Sven Gabriel (FDP) switched to the CDU parliamentary group, while Barbara Lüke, formerly FDP, joined the SPD faction. Diethold Tietz left the BSW faction, but remains a district council. The new members of the right -wing extremist party "Freie Sachsen", including Veit Gähler and Benjamin Moses, also caused a sensation. The latter was not punished when he wore a T-shirt with a provocative imprint at a session, which led to a warning by the district administrator.

future prospects and political culture

The first meetings of the new district council have revealed the existing tensions and political culture in Bautzen. The SPD even plans to bring in an application for house rules in order to create clear clothing rules for members of the district council. The controversial decisions and the heated debates throw a shadow on the future cooperation in the district council. However, there are also unexpected alliances from which new political dynamics could emerge. It remains to be seen how the parties and factions will position themselves and whether the district meeting succeeds in finding constructive solutions for the challenges of the district.