CDU Politician Skips Parliament for Hunting Licence
A CDU member of parliament repeatedly missed sessions in the Bundestag in order to obtain his hunting licence. The case raises questions about his priorities.
Tino Sorge (CDU), a member of the Bundestag from Magdeburg, was absent from parliament on several sitting days while undergoing training to become a wildlife killer.
Sorge admitted this following research by the German Press Agency (dpa). “In hindsight, I would avoid conflicts like this wherever possible”, he stated in response to an enquiry. He said that the exercise of his parliamentary mandate had not been impaired at any point. The 46-year-old has been the health policy spokesperson for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group since December, having previously been active on the health committee.
Mr Sorge receives €10,012.89 from taxpayers every month to fulfil his duties as a member of the Bundestag. Instead, he apparently prefers to lie in wait for defenceless animals in the forest. We call on Tino Sorge to surrender his hunting licence so that he can devote his full energy to his political responsibilities in future. He must choose: hunting or his mandate – if he prefers to kill animals for fun as a hobby hunter, he must immediately relinquish his seat in the Bundestag. People who make the killing of animals their ‘leisure activity’ are questionable representatives of the people in any case.
Peter Höffken, Policy Advisor at PETA
Priorities appear to be badly misaligned
Anyone who excuses themselves from plenary sessions to pursue a bloody hobby reveals poor judgement. The Magdeburg MP’s absences prompted criticism within the party, which flared up again following his rise to health policy spokesperson. CDU state chairman Sven Schulze, while still serving as secretary-general in autumn 2020, reportedly had a “serious conversation” with Sorge, according to party circles. Schulze confirmed that he had held such a conversation following a tip-off from Berlin, but said the contents would remain internal. “What Tino Sorge did during that time is something he himself is responsible for as a member of parliament», said Schulze.
According to the plenary minutes, Sorge excused himself from the Bundestag sessions on 11 and 16 to 18 September 2020. The two-week intensive course began on 11 September at the hunting and nature school in Schönebeck (Salzlandkreis). The town is located in the constituency of the CDU politician. On 18 September, the Hospital Future Act was on the parliamentary agenda.
Sorge's absence from the Bundestag fell directly in the period immediately after the parliament's two-month summer recess. «The fact that part of the hunting course had to take place on sitting days was due to a rescheduling by the organisers», Sorge stated. The course had originally been scheduled for the recess period.
Saxony-Anhalt's state parliament president Gunnar Schellenberger (CDU) declined to comment on the incident, but described it as fundamentally an "outrage" when private hobbies were placed above parliamentary duties. "For me, parliamentary work comes first. I would recommend this attitude to every other member of parliament as well", he said.
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