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Constitutional lawyer criticizes some adjustments to the Saarland structure as “make-up”

The constitutional lawyer Christoph Gröpl has criticized a number of of the constitutional adjustments handed in Saarland. “This is partly hot air and make-up,” Gröpl advised the FAZ. The reference to God inserted into the state structure is “a beautiful thing”. The structure doesn’t profess a selected faith, however reasonably expresses the humility of the legislature and the state normally. “But that doesn’t change the reality of people’s lives,” emphasised Gröpl.

The Saarland parliament selected Wednesday so as to add a preamble to the state structure for the primary time since 1957. This accommodates the formulation that Saarland created the structure “in the awareness of its responsibility before God and people”. The MPs additionally took up the struggle in opposition to anti-Semitism and antigypsyism as state objectives.

“It seems as if the responsible politicians want to give themselves a clear conscience,” mentioned Gröpl, who teaches as a professor at Saarland University in Saarbrücken. “In terms of their basic rights, the constitutions of the states in Germany have little meaning because they are subordinate to federal law. And the fight against anti-Semitism and antigypsyism already arises from the Basic Law.” That’s why most of the new passages within the structure have been successfully meaningless: “In this respect, we are dealing with politicians who like to write constitutional poetry.”

In a 3rd level, the state parliament modified the process for electing judges on the Constitutional Court. This is meant to stop blockades by excessive or anti-democratic forces. “This is the only change that has practical effects and makes sense,” mentioned Gröpl. “The protection of the Constitutional Court is important because it is not regulated by federal law.”