The Bundestag has elected Ferda Ataman as the Federal Government's new Anti-Discrimination Commissioner.

On Thursday in Berlin, 376 deputies voted for Ataman, 278 voted against them, 14 deputies abstained and three votes were invalid.

Before Ataman's election, the head of the federal anti-discrimination agency had been vacant for four years.

In mid-June, the cabinet had proposed the 43-year-old publicist for this post.

From this point on, the personnel was discussed controversially.

The traffic light parties have 416 votes in the Bundestag, for the election of Ataman at least 369 were needed.

Opposition politicians from the Union and AfD, but also individual representatives of the governing party FDP, said the journalist was not suitable.

Among other things, they described Ataman as a “left-wing activist” who stands for “divisive identity politics”.

SPD leader Saskia Esken spoke of a "slanderous campaign".

Haßelmann: "In any case" the right one

Green party leader Britta Haßelmann defended the nomination of the publicist again on Thursday morning on Deutschlandfunk.

Many allegations against Ataman are unfounded, she is "in any case" the right person for the office, said the Green politician.

Ataman is an expert on diversity, she has been campaigning for diversity and against all forms of discrimination for many years.

Ataman, who was born in Stuttgart in 1979 and grew up in Nuremberg, studied political science with a focus on "Modern Near East", with a focus on the topics of migration and integration.

After her studies, she first worked for the CDU politician Armin Laschet, who became integration minister in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2005 – and was looking for a speechwriter with a Turkish background.

In 2007 Ataman trained at the Berlin School of Journalism and then worked in various newspaper editorial offices.

From 2010 to 2012 she headed the public relations and communication department of the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency.

In 2009 she co-founded the “New German Media Makers” network, which campaigns for more diversity in the media.

From 2013 to 2016, the 43-year-old Ataman, whose parents came to Germany from Turkey, managed the Mediendienst Integration, a scientific platform for journalists on the topics of migration, integration and asylum.