Black-Red coalition agreement reached in Hesse

Parties - Black-Red coalition agreement reached in Hesse

A good two months after the state elections in Hesse, the CDU and SPD have agreed on a coalition agreement. At the end of the negotiations, which involved around 200 people, the ministerial appointments were also discussed, said CDU state leader and Minister President Boris Rhein in Wiesbaden on Thursday. The ministers would not be determined until the beginning of 2024.

The coalition negotiations came to an end on Wednesday evening. This Saturday, party conferences of the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats in Frankfurt and Groß-Umstadt in southern Hesse must first decide on the 184-page draft of the coalition agreement. According to planning, Rhein and the SPD state chairwoman and Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser will sign this government program for the years 2024 to 2029 next Monday.

In the past decade, Hesse was led by a black-green government. The CDU won the state elections on October 8 by a clear margin, after which it was able to choose comfortably between the Greens and the SPD as coalition partners. After exploratory talks, the CDU decided to turn down the Greens in favor of the first CDU/SPD coalition led by the CDU in the state's history.

According to Rhein, the several weeks of black-red negotiations were "almost amicable" and "damn fair". He was only in "enormous pain" because the Ministry of Economic Affairs was going to the SPD, but that was part of the necessary compromises. Under no circumstances would there be a "submission" of the Social Democrats. At 15.1 percent, they had received less than half the votes of the Christian Democrats (34.6 percent) in the state elections.

SPD parliamentary group leader Günter Rudolph spoke of objective talks "at eye level". Rudolph called the Green parliamentary group's accusation that the agreement was a "humiliation" for the SPD with too few goals implemented an inaccurate "impertinence". There is "a lot of social democratic handwriting" in the draft agreement.

This is under the motto "One for all". This means "A coalition for all people in Hesse", explained SPD General Secretary Christoph Degen. The draft agreement begins by listing various challenges such as the war in Ukraine, Hamas terror, the "economic and migration crisis" and climate change: "Never before have there been so many at once." It goes on to say: "We will overcome these challenges together - or not at all." A "broad Hesse coalition" will be formed for this purpose.

The detailed draft agreement is essentially based on a joint key issues paper by both parties from November. For example, the new "Hesse Agreement" includes the announcement of an increased educational offer from daycare centers and schools to craft banks and university lecture halls. The multi-tier school system is to be retained and the number of teachers increased.

The "Hesse Agreement" also states: "We will ensure greater security with more police officers." The CDU and SPD are committed to the right to asylum, but also speak of a "breaking point". Therefore, irregular migration should be significantly limited and at the same time the integration of refugees with the right to stay should be strengthened.

The Black-Red coalition is also sticking to a controversial announcement: "We will stipulate that public administration and other state and public institutions (such as schools, universities, broadcasting) will refrain from using special characters to indicate gender and will be guided by the German Spelling Council."

The SPD is not yet known for gender bans. On Thursday, Rhein announced the implementation of "legally secure solutions". His main concern was that pupils would not receive lower grades if they did not write special gender characters.

The draft coalition agreement also states: "The CDU will provide the Minister President." In political Wiesbaden, the incumbent Rhein is expected to be re-elected. According to the draft agreement, the SPD will provide the deputy head of the state government.

The ministries will be reorganized accordingly. The CDU is to appoint eight ministers and the SPD three. Among other things, the Christian Democrats will have the interior, finance and education ministries as well as a new ministry for agriculture and the environment, viticulture, forestry, hunting and homeland. The SPD will receive a super ministry for economy, energy, transport, housing and rural areas, the ministry for labor and social affairs as well as the ministry for science and culture.

Rhein said that he would leave potential ministerial candidates alone before Christmas and between the years. There is not yet a complete CDU personnel tableau. He had certain ideas and would have to "talk to the possible candidates", added the CDU state chairman. He is already receiving "recommendations from second parties for third parties" as well as unsolicited applications. For him, the most important factor in the selection of ministers is competence, the second is sufficient consideration of female candidates in terms of gender equality and the third is regional balance in Hesse. The SPD also stated that its three heads of department would probably not be chosen until the beginning of 2024.