German parliament votes against mandatory coronavirus vaccination

BERLIN

The German parliament voted Thursday against a proposal to make the coronavirus vaccination mandatory for those older than 60 after fierce debate among lawmakers.

The draft bill, supported by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, was rejected in a 378 - 296 vote.

It was the first major defeat for Scholz’s three-party coalition, which was sworn in last December.

While Scholz’s Social Democrats and the Green Party supported the measure, the coalition’s junior partner, the liberal Free Democrats, opposed the draft bill.