CDU state leader’s alcohol drive could become a topic in state parliament

State Policy – CDU state chairman’s alcohol drive could become a topic in state parliament

The opposition left-wing faction in the Brandenburg state parliament wants to call a special session of the Committee on Internal Affairs and Legal Affairs after the alcohol campaign by CDU faction leader Jan Redmann – the necessary majority for this has not yet been secured. Marlen Block, the left-wing deputy who chairs the Committee on Internal Affairs, said: “It is about excluding the influence of superiors on the investigation procedures.”

Last week, CDU state and parliamentary group leader Redmann was stopped by police on his way to his apartment in Potsdam with a blood alcohol level of 1.3 per mille. A blood alcohol level of 1.1 per mille or higher is a criminal offense and not an administrative offense. Redmann informed the media about the incident on Friday afternoon – about twelve hours after the incident – and admitted that he had made a mistake. The exact blood alcohol level was initially unclear to him.

Necessary voices are still missing

The Brandenburg police are said to have informed the Ministry of the Interior first in writing and only later electronically internally about the check on Redmann. According to their statements, such a procedure is intended to ensure that the personal rights of those affected are not violated.

“We have requested a special session of the Legal Affairs Committee and the Internal and Local Affairs Committee during the recess,” Block said. The session could take place after the special session of the Landtag on the following Wednesday for the supplementary budget, if the necessary votes take place and the presidium agrees.

Left sees coalition in the making

The motion requires a fifth of the members in the Committee on Home Affairs and Legal Affairs, i.e. three. Block hopes that the coalition groups will participate because of a great interest in transparency and clarification. The group leaders of the SPD and Greens, Daniel Keller and Benjamin Raschke, had sharply criticized Redmann and asked open questions.

Police did not give a specific reason for the check, according to Redmann’s statement. The police report, which was first reported by the “Markische Allgemeine” and to which the dpa also has access, states that Redmann “was checked because of his driving behavior.”

1. If the opposition left-wing faction in the Brandenburg state parliament obtains the necessary majority, they want to convene an extraordinary session of the Committee on Internal Affairs and Legal Affairs.
2. Marlen Block, the left-wing MP who chairs the Home Affairs Committee, believes the session is crucial to eliminate the influence of superiors on investigative actions.
3. Last week, CDU parliamentary group leader Jan Redmann was arrested by police in Potsdam after a drunken drive with a blood alcohol level of 1.3 per mille.
4. The Brandenburg police are said to have notified the Ministry of the Interior of Redmann’s surveillance in writing and later electronically, in accordance with a procedure for the protection of personal rights.
5. Block requested a special session of the Committee on Legal Affairs and the Committee on Internal and Local Affairs during the recess, which could take place after the special session of the Landtag for the supplementary budget.
6. The left expects that the SPD and the Greens will receive support from the coalition, because they consider transparency and clarity important after Redmann’s alcohol drive.
7. According to Redmann, the police did not give a specific reason for the stop, but his driving behavior was suspicious.
8. The police report, which was first published by the Markische Allgemeine and obtained by the dpa, shows that Redmann was kept under control because of his driving behavior.

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