Politics - Holter: New government would need a toleration agreement
Governing without a majority and toleration partners - for Thuringia's Education Minister Helmut Holter, this is not an ideal solution. "For Thuringia, we can only hope that there will be stable majorities in 2024 that will also enable good governance," the Left Party politician told the German Press Agency in Erfurt.
In a coalition with three partners, it is not always easy to reach consensus on decisions. The need for coordination with the CDU or the FDP makes things even more complicated. "The processes are more difficult and take longer."
Pain with the budget
In Thuringia, Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (Left Party) has led a minority government consisting of the Left Party, SPD and Greens for almost four years. The three partners do not have their own majority in parliament and are dependent on the votes of the CDU or FDP when it comes to passing laws or the budget. Most recently, a new budget for 2024 was passed before Christmas. However, the red-red-green coalition had to make a number of concessions to the CDU to achieve this.
Holter said that he was satisfied that there was a budget and no cuts in the school sector. The budget also showed that the minority government in Thuringia was working. However, there is pain. "I am dissatisfied because there is no increase with the decisions on school social work," he said.
The money earmarked for this does not reflect the pay rises. There are also cuts in the promotion of democracy. "We need to look at the exact impact this will have."
Searching for majorities costs energy
The red-red-green coalition also wanted to achieve improvements in the quality of nursery care. However, the project has been put on hold for the time being because no money has been allocated to it in the budget.
"The constant search for new majorities within the democratic spectrum simply takes time and energy," says Holter. There is also the threat of a standstill if discussion partners do not want to support certain projects of a minority coalition due to content or political considerations.
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- The CDU and FDP could potentially serve as toleration partners for a new government in Thuringia, but Education Minister Helmut Holter expressed hope that stable majorities will emerge in 2024 for effective governance.
- In the current Thuringian government, led by Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow of the Left Party, the partners (Left Party, SPD, and Greens) rely on the support of the CDU or FDP for passing laws and the budget, which sometimes necessitates making concessions.
- Helmut Holter, the Education Minister, acknowledged satisfaction in securing a budget without cuts in the school sector but expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of pay raises for school social workers and cuts in democracy promotion.
- In the search for majorities, the red-red-green coalition in Thuringia aims to improve the quality of nursery care but must postpone projects due to budget constraints, according to Minister Holter.
- Cooperation with toleration partners in Thuringia can be challenging, as observed by Helmut Holter, due to the arduous processes, increased complexity, and time and energy required for coordination and consensus building.
Source: www.stern.de
