On March 25, the newly elected German parliament, formed following the snap elections in February, held its inaugural session, as reported by Spiegel.
During the session, deputies were set to elect the new Bundestag speaker. However, the opening was marked by a dispute over who should preside over the first meeting as the oldest member of parliament. Ultimately, this role was assigned to Gregor Gysi, a representative of The Left party.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party opposed this decision, arguing that the responsibility should have been given to their representative, Alexander Gauland, as the oldest MP. However, according to parliamentary rules, the session is opened by the member with the longest tenure in the Bundestag.
In the elections on February 23, the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) emerged victorious, while Alternative for Germany secured second place with the best result in its history. Together, AfD and The Left hold a third of the seats in the new parliament, giving them the power to block key decisions.
It is expected that the new government will be formed by CDU/CSU and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), with conservative leader Friedrich Merz becoming the next chancellor.
