Thuringia's President Christian Carius has expelled a Green MP from the Plenary Chamber. The reason: Madeleine Henfling had appeared with her few weeks old son.
Henfling faction colleagues and members of the left intervened against the measure. As a result, the Diet meeting was interrupted for about half an hour and the council of elders convened. Nothing changed for the young mother - she has to stay away from the three-day session if she insists on holding her baby in her arms.
Carius referred to the Rules of Procedure, which do not foresee mothers with children in the plenary hall. In addition, for child protection reasons, he would recommend each member to take care of his child, said Carius, himself a father.
However, he did not exclude that the Rules of Procedure of the Landtag should still be discussed under this aspect. In the case of votes, the procedure should be such that a CDU deputy waives their vote for the absent Green Party member, so that the majority situation is maintained.
The usual parental leave for employees does not exist for MPs. So far, there is also no child care in the Erfurt Diet.