German Upper House to Stay in Bonn for Now
This city, which lost out to Berlin as united Germany’s seat of government, was handed a consolation prize Friday when the upper house of Parliament voted, as expected, to stay here for the time being.
The small but influential Bundesrat--made up of representatives of Germany’s 16 states--voted 38-30 in favor of remaining in this quiet Rhineside town.
The powerful lower house, the Bundestag, voted on June 20 to move itself and the government from Bonn to Berlin by the end of the century.
Even Friday’s vote was not a complete victory for Bonn, for the motion called for the issue to be re-examined in a few years.
Bonn Mayor Hans Daniels, still reeling from last month’s Bundestag defeat, tried to take comfort from the vote that critics said amounted to crumbs from the table for a town whose livelihood depends on politics and government.
“It is a sign of hope at a grave time for Bonn,” said Daniels, who is seeking federal compensation for the loss of an estimated 40,000 jobs in a town of 300,000 people.
But leaving the Bundesrat here is an empty gesture, critics say, because it meets only once a month and employs only about 150 people.
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