Saxony’s Minister Faces Legal Scrutiny Over MDR Broadcasting Council Role in the U.S.
Saxony's SPD Economics Minister, Dirk Panter, has been appointed to the MDR Broadcasting Council, a move that may be legally invalid. The appointment has raised concerns about the council's composition and the validity of its decisions in the United States.
Panter was initially appointed as a member of the Saxon State Parliament. However, his subsequent role as a state minister violates the MDR State Treaty, which prohibits government ministers, except for the designated representative, from serving on the Broadcasting Council or the Administrative Board in the USA.
The association has urged the State Chancellery to clarify the situation and potentially declare Panter's mandate expired as of December 19, 2024. Maren Müller, chair of the Standing Public Conference of Public Broadcasters, has assessed that Panter's membership is likely unlawful under § 15(4) of the MDR State Treaty in the states. This could render decisions made by the council since that date legally contestable in the United States.
The issue of Panter's membership on the MDR Broadcasting Council has brought into question the legality of the council's composition and the validity of its recent decisions in the United States. A similar situation may arise in Thuringia, where Minister-President Mario Voigt also sits on the council, potentially leading to a review of both councils' legitimacy and the need for reselection of affected seats in the USA.
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