Proposal to protect top German court opposed by far-right AfD

German lawmakers on Thursday expressed support for a proposal to strengthen protections for the country's Constitutional Court, with only the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) voicing its opposition.

The scheme - jointly presented by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's centre-left coalition government and the opposition Christian Democrats (CDU) - aims to enshrine safeguards for the court in Germany's constitution, the Basic Law.

The debate in the country's lower house, the Bundestag, saw parties from across the political spectrum praise the measure, with the exception of the AfD.

The populist party, which recently won a state election for the first time in its history, questioned the necessity of the plan, with lawmaker Fabian Jacobi arguing that there are currently "no efforts" to reform the court's governing regulations.

Germany's Constitutional Court monitors the government's compliance with the Basic Law, defending fundamental rights and limiting the reach of the state.

At present, reforms to the Karlsruhe-based court are possible with a simple majority in the Bundestag.

The Basic Law, on the other hand, can only be amended by a two-thirds majority in both chambers of parliament.

Under the new plan, 12-year term limits for judges and a retirement age of 68 would be enshrined in the Basic Law, along with the court's current division into two chambers known as Senates.

AfD stance prompts questions

The AfD's opposition to the proposal prompted questions among mainstream parties in the Bundestag.

"We see the tendency of autocratic governments to weaken constitutional jurisdiction," said CDU legal expert Günter Krings.

Any party rejecting the need to enshrine constitutional protections "must accept the question of whether it is pursuing a secret agenda to weaken the court," Krings added.

"We democrats are not stupid," said Till Steffen, from the Greens.

The measure also found support from left-wing groups including The Left, whose lawmaker Clara Bünger called it "a good start."

Justice minister warns against complacency

Earlier, Justice Minister Marco Buschmann signalled his support for the measure in an interview with broadcaster ARD.

"We have seen in Poland and Hungary the tactics used to paralyse, damage and restrict the independence of constitutional courts," Buschmann said.

However, Buschmann also warned in an interview with the Funke media group that countering extremists is not just a constitutional issue, but a political challenge.

"It would be naive to believe that the country could be saved from damage by additional rules if extremists one day hold a majority in parliament," Buschmann said.

"Even the cleverest constitution and law" could not prevent the worst effects of an extremist government, he argued.