Saarland Amends Constitution to Include Religious Reference and Anti-Extremism Measures
Saarland Amends Constitution to Include Religious Reference and Anti-Extremism Measures
The Saarland has revised its constitution to reintroduce a preamble that includes a reference to God and outlines commitments to combat extremism.
The newly adopted preamble reflects a coalition’s demand, comprising Christian churches, the Jewish community, and Muslim organizations, emphasizing the Saarland’s dedication to Franco-German friendship and a peaceful Europe. Additionally, the constitution now explicitly states the protection of Jewish life and the fight against anti-Semitism and anti-Romani sentiment as state objectives. The amendment also alters the procedure for appointing judges to the Constitutional Court, aiming to prevent blockades by extremist parties, with the ruling SPD and opposition CDU holding a significant majority in the state parliament. The previous preamble was removed following Saarland’s accession to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1957.
For journalistic integrity, this report was summarized from: deutschlandfunk.de