1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Politics

Mystery Member of Parliament - Who is representative Mierscheid of the German Bundestag?

Sebastian KatzerApril 22, 2011

The German parliament, the Bundestag, has many seats. One is occupied by Representative Jakob Maria Mierscheid. Always ready to get to the point when others shy away from it, the fictitious Social Democrat MP has been in the Bundestag since 1979. Over the decades, he has become known for his rather bizarre, unusual and frequently provocative comments. Eternally 78 years old, he has never attended a single meeting or debate. The retired, master tailor from Hunsrück owes his existence to the imaginations of two former Social Democrat representatives, Karl Haehser and Peter Würtz. Reporters Kathrin Bierwirth and Axel Rowholt go in search of the "Phantom of the German Bundestag."

https://p.dw.com/p/RJkO
The German parliament, the Bundestag, has many seats. One is occupied by Representative Jakob Maria Mierscheid. Always ready to get to the point when others shy away from it, the fictitious Social Democrat MP has been in the Bundestag since 1979. Over the decades, he has become known for his rather bizarre, unusual and frequently provocative comments. Eternally 78 years old, he has never attended a single meeting or debate. The retired, master tailor from Hunsrück owes his existence to the imaginations of two former Social Democrat representatives, Karl Haehser and Peter Würtz. Reporters Kathrin Bierwirth and Axel Rowholt go in search of the "Phantom of the German Bundestag."