The Reformation Day on October 31st is a new legal holiday in Lower Saxony. With a clear majority, especially from government coalition of SPD and CDU, Landtag in Hanover passed a corresponding law. It will be valid for this year.
All 137 members were present at vote. For Government's proposal, 100 deputies voted, 20 voted against, 17 abstained. The political groups of SPD and CDU had announced that group discipline would be abolished for vote.
All or alternatives were rejected: The Greens group had voted in favour of introduction of women's Day on 8 March and European Day on 9 May. There was also no majority for Buß and repentance, which was put forward by a group of 13 CDU and SPD deputies. The first push by eleven members of SPD and Greens to make day of Basic Law on 23 May for holiday was not necessary approval.
Thus, Lower Saxony now has ten statutory holidays. Bremen and Berlin have only nine as only federal states. Berlin is also planning to introduce a new holiday, but date is not yet fixed. Bavaria is at top with 13 public holidays.
The Lower Saxony FDP Bundestag group chairman Stefan Birkner accused Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) of setting a false priority. He had promised a new holiday to citizens during election campaign and only afterwards made search for "right" for it. This procedure would not do justice to a law for a state-protected religious holiday. The FDP faction is against a new holiday.
Green boss Anja Piel criticized a "decision in back room" by coalition. In ir view, debate on holiday would have offered opportunity for a broad civic participation. It had been squandered because of an early determination of government, according to Piel, with reference to a discussion by heads of Government of Lower Saxony, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in early February in Berlin. At that time heads of State had spoken out for 31 October.
The provincial government had justified choice of Reformation Day, among or things, to avoid an "island solution" for Lower Saxony. In addition, good experiences with celebrations in Reformation commemoration year 2017 have been made. That raised at end of debate also because again. The Reformation day is widely supported by all alternatives in population.
The head of government recalled reconciliation service of Catholics and Protestants in March 2017 in Hildesheim. At that time, churches had taken a look at what Christians of both denominations did to each or in suffering. They asked God and each or for forgiveness. "This is my understanding of Reformation," and that is deeper meaning of this new holiday, so because.
Date Of Update: 20 June 2018, 12:02
