Bavaria's state legislature on Tuesday passed a controversial law expanding police powers in the southern German state, despite criticism that it would massively restrict civil liberties.

The ruling center-right Christian Social Union (CSU) used its majority in the state assembly to push through the law, with 89 lawmakers voting in favor, 67 against and two abstaining.

Critics have decried the bill as draconian and warned it could become a blueprint for expanded police powers across Germany. Last Thursday witnessed at least 30,000 protesters take to the streets of Munich to voice opposition to the law.

Read more: Biggest Munich protest 'in years' against hard-line CSU police bill

Last week's protest against the policing law was one of the biggest in recent memory.

'Looming danger'

One of the more controversial aspects of the law would allow police to take preventative action against an "impending danger," as opposed to the previous requirement of a "concrete danger."

Critics say loose terminologies would hand Bavarian police extended powers to intervene even before an offense has taken place. They also worry about the use of online surveillance, facial recognition, postal seizures, drones, body cameras and preventative genetic DNA analyses.

For the CSU, the Bavarian sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), the new law brings state police technologically and legally up to date.

Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said in the state parliamentary debate that "it is a protection law and not a surveillance law." He has stated the law provides more security, civil rights and privacy.

The Bavarian conservatives also argue the "impending danger" definition is not vague, and will be in line with a German constitutional court ruling making it easier for police to track suspected terrorists.

Read more: German state orders crosses mounted in government buildings

10 reasons to love Bavaria Zugspitze Bavaria gets to top it all by being home to Germany's highest peak. The Zugspitze in the Bavarian Alps reaches 2,962 meters (9,718 ft) above sea level. Visitors, however, don't have to invest a lot of energy to reach the summit to enjoy the fabulous views. There are three cable cars and a rack railway to take you to the top.

10 reasons to love Bavaria The Oktoberfest in Munich The largest people's fair in the world attracts some 6 million visitors and has spawned offshoots around the world. Beer in one liter glasses, women in Dirndl dresses, men in Lederhosen as well as music and dancing in all of the tents. The only genuine Oktoberfest is found in Munich - which has played host since 1810.

10 reasons to love Bavaria Munich - the Bavarian capital The Bavarian metropolis is one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. First stop for visitors is the Marienplatz square with the Frauenkirche church and the New Town Hall with its antique Glockenspiel. Other attractions include the Hofbräuhaus beer hall, Nymphenburg Palace, the Englischer Garten park as well as many museums like the Deutsches Museum - the largest science museum in the world.

10 reasons to love Bavaria Bayern Munich football club Munich is home to Germany's most successful football clubs. FC Bayern home games are played at the Allianz Arena. And for those who can't afford tickets for the match can still feel close to Lewandowski, Robben and Müller by taking a guided tour around the stadium.

10 reasons to love Bavaria Neuschwanstein Castle The Romanesque Revival palace is the top attraction. Some 1.4 million people visit it every year - something the shy and recluse King Ludwig II who commissioned the castle probably would not enjoy. He had the castle built in 1869 as a personal refuge to allow him to escape into the realm of legends and fairytales. Today the castle of the fairytale king is admired by people from around the world.

10 reasons to love Bavaria The Königssee Lake Translated, it would be the 'King's Lake,' and as such it is regarded as the king of the roughly 200 lakes in Bavaria: cut deep into the Berchtesgaden Alps, the crystal clear water creates a nearly fairytale atmosphere. Since 1909 the pilgrimage church St Bartholomä can only be reached by boat - an environmentally friendly electronic boat.

10 reasons to love Bavaria Rothenburg ob der Tauber The small town in the Franconia region is purely medieval. Tourists from Asia in particular love the timber framed houses and the town wall with its fortifications. Rothenburg was left poor and deserted in the Thirty Years' War, which is why it never developed much. Today it's seen a historic jewel that happens to be located on the Romatic Road - one of Germany's most popular tourist routes.

10 reasons to love Bavaria Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth In 2012 it was not Wagner's Festspielhaus Festival Theatre in Bayreuth, but the Margravine Princess Wilhelmine of Prussia's opera house that was added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. This makes it the latest of the seven World Heritage Sites in Bavaria. The opera house, built in the 1740s, is regarded as one of the most beautifully preserved Baroque theatres in Europe.

10 reasons to love Bavaria The Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg Nuremberg is the second largest city in Bavaria. Most people come in December to go to the Christkindlesmarkt, or Christ Child Market - one of the world's oldest and best known Christmas markets, visited by 2 million people each year. Mulled wine and Lebkuchen ginger bread you can get anywhere, but only here will you encounter the Christkind or Christ Child.

10 reasons to love Bavaria Bavarian hospitality It is not a myth but a way of life in the approximately 800 beer gardens, 600 breweries and 4000 taverns in Bavaria. Enjoy a traditional Bavarian "Brotzeit" meal - which directly translated means 'bread time'. This includes pretzels, meat and a relaxing beer in the company of friends. Author: Kerstin Schmidt



Election campaign tactic?

Opposition Social Democrat state chairman Natascha Kohnen said during the assembly debate that the CSU was ignoring concerns about the constitution. She also said that the police did not need the expanded powers.

"The police do not need this law and they know that it will not make Bavaria more secure," Kohnen said.

The CSU is campaigning for regional re-election in October on a hard-line agenda to persuade Bavarian voters not to drift further toward the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Read more: CSU labels far-right AfD 'un-Bavarian' as heated state election campaign starts early

During the heated state assembly debate, opposition Green Party parliamentary group leader Katharina Schulze accused the CSU of "monitoring mania." The expansion of police powers was not because of security issues, but because the CSU wanted to benefit in the election, she said.

Herrmann's counterpart at the federal level, Horst Seehofer, who formerly served as Bavarian state premier, propagates a hard-line nationwide, notably against refugees. This has raised concerns among critics of the expanded police powers that it could become a blueprint for other German states.

Policing in Germany is constitutionally the prerogative of each of the 16 regional states, with federal authorities, notably the federal police, focused on patrolling Germany's external borders, its airports, railway stations and train routes.

Read more: Crime rate in Germany lowest since 1992, but Seehofer still issues stern warning

cw/rc (AFP, dpa)

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