The work of a member of the Bundestag means responsibility and requires commitment. Plenary sessions, committee and committee work, office hours in the constituency office, events with voters, public appearances, media appointments – a committed MP can throw himself into a lot of work. No question. But when it comes to commitment and hard work, there are differences.
Among the 736 members of the Bundestag, there are some who are lazier than others. This emerges when one evaluates the 152 meeting minutes of the current legislative period.
The Bundestag only records excused absences
That’s exactly what the “Handelsblatt” from Düsseldorf did. However, the attendance rate only provides a meaningful trend; it does not paint a precise picture. This is because unexcused absences are not listed and plenary sessions are not the only area of activity for MPs. All excused absences that were not justified in the documents by statutory maternity leave were counted in the evaluation. These are the results.
Sources: “Handelsblatt“