Hesse: CDU and SPD set their sights on coalition talks
Following the Hessian CDU's decision for a change of government, the Christian Democrats and SPD are focusing on their coalition negotiations. Following committee meetings of both parties this Monday, joint talks are to begin behind closed doors on Tuesday. They want to sign a black-red coalition agreement before Christmas.
On Friday evening in Kassel, the party council and state executive of the SPD unanimously decided to start coalition talks with the CDU. Prior to this, CDU state leader and Minister President Boris Rhein had declared his intention to enter into negotiations with the SPD. To date, the CDU has governed Hesse with the Greens - for around a decade. The CDU clearly won the state elections in October.
According to CDU federal leader Friedrich Merz, the CDU's decision in favor of the SPD is not a preliminary decision for coalitions at federal level. It was initially a decision by the Hessian CDU "due to the challenges facing a future state government in Hesse", said Merz in the Deutschlandfunk "Interview of the Week", which will be broadcast on Sunday. He was certain that Rhein had made a wise decision. "However, I also want to say that this is not a preliminary decision in one direction or another for the federal party."
Rhein had declared on Friday afternoon: "As the CDU, we want to attempt to form a government in Hesse with the SPD, with the Social Democrats, and work together in a Christian-social coalition for the first time in 70 years." The aim is to write a program with the SPD that combines reason and progress. "A program for reason in dealing with migration. Prudent, never foaming at the mouth."
He justified his decision in favor of the SPD with greater common ground. Rhein referred to the many current crises. "Today, the focus is on issues where we need to form a coalition from the center" - such as refugees and internal security. The Greens had come a long way towards the CDU in the exploratory talks. "But in the end, it wasn't enough," explained Rhein. The CDU's rejection of the Greens was a "really emotionally difficult decision". The Greens were bitterly disappointed.
The Greens, Social Democrats and Liberals had all lost votes in Hesse on 8 October compared to the 2018 state elections. The CDU has ruled out working together with the AfD, which has clearly gained in strength. The new state parliament in Wiesbaden will be constituted on January 18, 2024.
After the CDU's shift in government preferences in Hesse, elections for a new coalition might be on the horizon. The CDU and SPD are set to engage in coalition talks, aiming to finalize a 'black-red' coalition agreement before Christmas. If successful, this coalition could mark a shift in Hesse's government, with the CDU and SPD forming a coalition for the first time in 70 years.
Source: www.dpa.com
