Diet increase in the Hessian state parliament in 1988

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The attempt to increase the diet in the Hessian state parliament in 1988 ended with the withdrawal of the relevant law by the Hessian state parliament and the resignation of the state parliament president and one of his deputies.

The diet increase

In the spring of 1988, the Hessian state parliament decided, with the votes of the CDU , SPD and FDP, to reorganize parliamentary allowances. Only the MPs of the Greens voted against the law. The new regulation included substantial increases in diets and old-age pensions after they had not been adjusted for a number of years.

The basic diets should now amount to DM 6,500. For the remainder of the legislative period , the diets should increase by 8% annually. The tax-free flat fee was raised to a maximum of 5400 marks.

Protests against the diet increase

On behalf of the Taxpayers' Association , party critic Hans Herbert von Arnim published a study in which he expressed a number of points of criticism. He criticized the lack of transparency in the legislative procedure, the planned automatic increase in diets and the increase itself. He assessed certain aspects as constitutionally questionable. This applied in particular to possible double pensions for MPs who had acquired pension entitlements in the course of their political careers as mayors or district administrators.

As a result, there was a massive political debate among the public and the parties. The Greens threatened a constitutional lawsuit, and media coverage was consistently critical.

Resignations and withdrawal of the law

The political groups also reacted to the severe criticism. Prime Minister Walter Wallmann (CDU), who did not take part in the vote on the diets, advocated in the CDU parliamentary group that the diets be fixed at the old level. In the SPD parliamentary group, the lack of transparency of the procedure was particularly criticized.

On July 19, 1988, the vice-president of the state parliament Erwin Lang (SPD) resigned from his office and resigned his state parliament mandate at the end of the month. Shortly afterwards, Landtag President Jochen Lengemann also gave up and resigned.

On July 28, 1988, the Hessian state parliament repealed the increase in diets passed in February 1988.

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