Changes to the Saarland constitution

The Saarland state parliament has decided on several changes to the state constitution. The roll-call votes took place in the third reading on the draft laws, some in amended versions. One of the changes concerns the introduction of a preamble. The constitution of Saarland does not yet contain such an introductory constitutional text. The new preamble is intended to describe the country's self-image and emphasize core values. These include, in particular, German-French friendship, European understanding, democracy, the rule of law, human rights and responsibility towards future generations. Compared to the original draft law, the text was expanded by an amendment. Among other things, the memory of the victims of violent and arbitrary rule was included and an explicit reference to the European Convention on Human Rights and responsibility “before God and man” was added. Another constitutional change concerns Article 12 paragraph 3. It stipulates that Saarland promotes peaceful coexistence among people and counteracts anti-Semitism and antigypsyism. In addition, the protection of Jewish life and culture was included in the constitution as a state goal. The background to this is, among other things, the increase in anti-Semitic incidents in recent years and Germany's special historical responsibility. The third constitutional amendment concerns the regulations for the Saarland Constitutional Court. The aim is to provide greater constitutional protection for the position and functionality of the country's highest court. Among other things, the term of office of members, the possibility of re-election, regulations in the event of delayed replacements and the independence of judges are expressly enshrined in the constitution. In addition, the constitutional complaint is expressly included in the court's catalog of jurisdiction. An amendment further adapted individual regulations on the election procedure for judges and the effect of decisions by the Constitutional Court. The three constitutional amendments were approved in individual votes, each with 46 yes votes to three no votes. This means that the required two-thirds majority of the statutory number of MPs was achieved to approve the laws in the third reading.

Vote breakdown