German police officers take away a protester who was participating in a rally to protest against the government’s adoption of a tougher anti-covid law on April 21, 2021. – Markus Schreiber / AP / SIPA
On Wednesday, German deputies adopted by 342 votes to 250 (and 64 abstentions) a controversial amendment to the anti-Covid 19 law. This reform of the law on protection against infections strengthens the powers of Angela Merkel’s government, as the country struggles against the third wave of the pandemic today.
This law, which imposes in particular the automatic triggering of severe restrictions at the national level beyond a determined threshold of infections, was able to be adopted thanks to the votes of the conservatives and the social democrats, allies in the government and majority in Parliament.
Liberals and environmentalists against
The Liberals of the FDP, who deem “contrary to the Constitution” the implementation of national curfews provided for by the reform, had announced that they would vote against, as did the extreme right and the radical left Die Linke. Environmentalists, who for their part declared doubting its effectiveness, had already warned that they would abstain.
Not far from the Reichstag, the building that houses the Bundestag, incidents have pitted the police against thousands of demonstrators opposed to the adoption of this reform. The police used tear gas. The text will still have to pass Thursday before the Bundesrat, the upper house of Parliament, before it can enter into force.