German lawmakers are to debate a proposal to strengthen protections for the country’s Constitutional Court on Thursday, amid concerns over the rise of populist parties such as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). The scheme – jointly presented by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s centre-left coalition government and the opposition Christian Democrats (CDU) – aims to enshrine safeguards for the court in Germany’s constitution, the Basic Law. Justice Minister Marco Buschmann on Wednesday signalled his support for the measure in an interview with broadcaster ARD. “We have seen in Poland and Hungar…