Merz’s coalition in turmoil over top court judge nomination
Germany’s ruling coalition under Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing its first major internal crisis, after a parliamentary vote on a judge for the country’s top court was postponed due to intense disagreement among coalition partners.
At the center of the dispute is Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf, the Social Democratic Party’s (SPD) nominee for the Federal Constitutional Court. Her candidacy was challenged by members of Merz’s conservative bloc, citing a last-minute plagiarism accusation and her progressive views on abortion, News.Az reports, citing Politico.
“It is not a good day for democracy in our country,” said Dirk Wiese, deputy leader of the SPD parliamentary group, accusing conservatives of staging an unfounded smear campaign.
Although the plagiarism allegation surfaced just before the vote — and remains unverified — insiders say the real issue is Brosius-Gersdorf’s work on legal frameworks for decriminalizing abortion. Six conservative MPs privately confirmed their opposition stems from her stance on the issue.
The coalition, which holds only a slim 52% majority in the Bundestag, is now exposed to deeper fractures. The vote requires a two-thirds supermajority, meaning the government would need support from either the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) or the far-left Die Linke to proceed — a politically fraught proposition.
The plagiarism charge came from self-styled “plagiarism hunter” Stefan Weber, who admitted uncertainty over whether the allegation actually involved Brosius-Gersdorf or her husband, who completed his doctoral thesis the same year.
The crisis highlights the fragility of Merz’s centrist alliance and the growing influence of radical parties in German politics — just two months into his term as chancellor.
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