Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf has said she will no longer be a candidate for Germany's top court, according to a statement released Thursday. 

The nomination of Brosius-Gersdorf to Germany's Federal Constitutional Court had sparked tensions in Germany's governing coalition between the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and center-left Social Democrats (SPD). 

What did Brosius-Gersdorf say?

"Parts of the CDU/CSU have categorically rejected my election," Brosius-Gersdorf wrote in a statement.

She said that she didn't want the election process to widen the rift in the coalition and lead to developments with unknown impacts on democracy.

She also said that the SPD had stood by her "to the end" and said she had received "great support" from the Green and Left parties as well.

Brosius-Gersdorf's nomination became a hotly debated topic after the CDU/CSU unexpectedly withdrew their support for her, citing concerns about her views on abortion and mandatory vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The depiction of the legal professor as a radical-left candidate was widely condemned as a campaign by the far right, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz even calling the attacks against her in the media "completely unacceptable."

How did the SPD respond to Brosius-Gersdorf stepping back?

Lars Klingbeil, Germany's vice chancellor and co-leader of the SPD, praised Brosius-Gersdorf as an "excellent candidate" but had strong words for her opponents.

"Those in the coalition who in the end didn't stick to their word must urgently account for what happened there," he said. "This kind of incident cannot happen again."

Klingbeil said he regretted Brosius-Gersdorf's withdrawal, but respected her decision in light of the recent weeks of attacks.

Matthias Miersch, head of the SPD's parliamentary group, said he holds the CDU/CSU responsible, pointing to several members of the center-right bloc who blocked her election despite an agreement between the coalition partners.

He said the SPD would "put forward a new suggestion for a suitable candidate, continuing with a clear orientation toward technical excellence."

Edited by: Rana Taha