Munich (dpa / lby) - A year before the state elections, the SPD parliamentary group in the Bavarian state parliament shrinks from 22 to just 21 MPs: the former Coburg district administrator Michael Busch has announced his resignation from the party and parliamentary group. "The SPD parliamentary group respects and regrets this step and wishes Michael Busch all the best for his future," the parliamentary group said on Friday. Busch wants to remain in the state parliament as a non-attached member of parliament until the election.

Busch wrote on Facebook that he had "thought the decision long and hard". "I'm basically not just leaving the SPD, but to a certain extent I'm leaving all parties," he explained. "Because in these multiple crises I miss the unconditional will to work together for the benefit of the people in our country at all levels and in all parties." This was also shown by the recent debates in the plenary session of the state parliament, "in which mutual accusations in speeches that are clumsy in terms of content and language predominate". He also expects Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to have the leadership to ensure unity in the coalition and to get all democratic parties and the federal states on board in order to find solutions together.

Busch criticized the CSU and Prime Minister Markus Söder, lamented an overall "disputed policy" - but also went to court with his previous parliamentary group. He had "more and more frequently had a completely different opinion" than the majority of the group. And he also recognizes "no will whatsoever to want to change anything in strategy, organization and working methods". He had to experience "self-adulation instead of self-criticism".

The number of non-attached MPs in the state parliament has now risen to eight. Five parliamentarians had turned their backs on the AfD faction, two had to leave the CSU faction. Apart from that, there was only one prominent change this week: Franz Josef Pschierer switched from the CSU to the FDP faction.