Anti-discrimination officers: A ballot with explosive power

The publicist Ataman is standing for election as Anti-Discrimination Commissioner in the Bundestag today. But she has been criticized for weeks – including from the coalition. What would be the consequences of a no?

Actually, the start of the last week of the session should be about the Federal Chancellor. But before Olaf Scholz answered the questions of the members of the Bundestag on Wednesday, another person came into focus: Ferda Ataman, the designated anti-discrimination officer.

Your election is on the Bundestag agenda for this afternoon. Ten minutes are scheduled for the ballot, without prior discussion. A usual procedure in the Bundestag.

Violent debate about Ataman

However, before the Scholz appearance, the AfD faction tried to force a debate on the personnel in parliament and to prevent the election. The parliamentary group submitted a point of order: the vote should be canceled, Ataman was unsuitable for the position.

Although the application was rejected by the other groups, it is uncertain whether she will be elected. The occupation is explosive, even for the traffic light coalition.

The post of anti-discrimination officer has been vacant for four years, which has hardly gone public. Ataman’s nomination almost a month ago has now sparked a heated debate about filling the position. Some describe you as a notorious troublemaker, others as an important voice for more diversity.

Ataman polarizes and provokes

Until recently, Ataman wrote as a columnist about racism, discrimination and her own experiences. Born in Stuttgart more than forty years ago and raised in Bavaria, Ataman often focused on her origins. The 43-year-old denounces that, having been born and raised here, she is still perceived as a stranger. “I’m from here. Stop asking me!” is the name of her book on the subject.

Ataman polarizes and provokes: Her critics call it racist for her to attribute the term “potato” to Germans without a migration background. The psychologist Ahmed Mansour accuses Ataman of promoting the division of society. Racism that emanates from non-whites does not exist for them, according to Mansour.

Encouragement – but also question marks

But there is also a lot of encouragement for Ataman. The federal conference of migrant organizations, for example, supported the personnel in an open letter. For co-signer Eva Andrades from the German Anti-Discrimination Association, Ataman is a courageous personality who names important and also painful points. Armin Laschet, for whom Ataman worked as a speechwriter during his time as NRW family minister, also congratulated her on her appointment. But he is in the minority in his group.

Ataman cannot count on votes from the Union for her election. With the nomination, Family Minister Lisa Paus probably wanted to set an exclamation mark.

But in the coalition, Paus has also left question marks with the personnel, especially with the FDP. Their MP Linda Teuteberg, for example, has announced that she will not vote for Ataman. It is important to take action against real discrimination. To do this, it must be credible that you do it with the same standards – and not with those that differ depending on the group, says Teuteberg.

How many from the FDP parliamentary group will take a similar view and decide against Ataman is difficult to foresee. The choice is secret. The federal cabinet had actually planned to clear the personnel in the past week of meetings. However, there was still a need for speech in the traffic light coalition.

Majority of elected MPs required

Ataman visited the factions. According to Katja Mast, parliamentary manager of the SPD, she found the candidate thoughtful. She is convinced that Ataman can clearly separate the role of head of the anti-discrimination agency from that of journalist. But the telephone lines between the Greens and the FDP are reportedly still running hot.

Ataman would have to be confirmed in office with the chancellor’s majority, i.e. with the majority of the elected deputies, not just those present. It could be tight: In addition to the Ataman skeptics, the coalition may also lack the votes of sick people or MPs who do not attend the meeting for other reasons. Apparently, the left-wing faction also asked around whether supporters of Ataman were to be expected.

A “No” to Ataman would be a slap in the office for Family Minister Paus, who is still fresh in office. But it would also leave the federal government damaged.