The certificate of discharge for Angela Merkel was certainly the document on Tuesday that was almost of historical importance.

Against the achievement of a sixteen-year-long chancellorship, whose style and content shaped not only Germany, the constitution of the Bundestag previously seemed like pure routine.

In terms of state politics, however, the music played in the plenary hall of parliament, where a piece of change in power was announced and already taking place, symbolized by the election of the SPD MP Bärbel Bas as President of the Bundestag.

The focus was once again set by Wolfgang Schäuble, who, as old-age president, demanded new vigor for a reform of the electoral law and raised doubts about the meaning of the coalition negotiations. It was also time for a leading parliamentarian to object to the bad habit of budding coalitions, in the party-political interest of wanting to fix the work of the Bundestag for years in advance.

According to Schäuble, the parliament is not a “notarial event” that serves to work through coalition agreements.

However, the ongoing negotiations in 22 working groups in particular seem as if the MPs allow themselves to be demoted to compliant service providers for their parties.

It should be clear to the members of the future government factions that their coalition agreement not only serves as a security measure, but also as a parliamentary gag.

In this electoral period, too, the Bundestag is burdened far more by the two worlds that separate it.

The election of the presidium passed the AfD parliamentary group.

This can be seen as a sign of strong demarcation, but also as a sign of weak integration power.

The short debate about an AfD application for the election of Chancellor showed that the Bundestag has the self-confidence here that it lacks elsewhere.

A reduced quorum for the motion to elect a chancellor, as the AfD wants, would undermine the constructive vote of no confidence.

Anyone who wants to get to the heart of the Bundestag in this way must not complain if they are denied access to the head.