SPD state party conference - Party leader rejects minority coalition with CDU and FDP
Thuringia's Social Democrats have made their government aspirations clear after the 2024 state elections. The party must become so strong that it can form stable democratic majorities and end the political blockade in Thuringia, said SPD Chairman and Interior Minister Georg Maier at a party conference in Meiningen on Saturday. The designated top candidate for the election made it clear that a minority coalition with the current opposition parties CDU and FDP was out of the question for the Social Democrats.
"You can kiss a German coalition with changing majorities goodbye. That's not possible with us," said the 56-year-old. In Meiningen, the Social Democrats put the finishing touches to their government program - around 200 amendments to individual passages, such as the use of bodycams by the police or the preservation of Erfurt Airport, were discussed, some of them very controversially.
Continuation of red-red-green?
Since 2014, the SPD has governed with a brief interruption together with Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow's Left Party and the Greens - from 2020 as a minority coalition that relies on compromises with the opposition in the state parliament. Maier left open whether he wants to continue the red-red-green coalition in 2024, but said that he is "committed to this government".
"We can't rely on the Prime Minister to somehow fix it," said the SPD leader. It would be irresponsible to just hope "that things will somehow continue". The SPD, which was at nine percent in a representative poll in November, must do everything to become stronger. It is also important that the AfD, with a "flawless fascist" at its head, cannot undermine democracy step by step. Right-wing extremists must not be allowed to make their way to a blocking minority in the state parliament.
According to current election polls, there could also be a difficult majority situation after the 2024 election with a strong AfD of between 32 and 34%, which is being monitored by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution due to right-wing extremist tendencies in Thuringia.
Constitutional amendment possible?
At the party conference, Maier spoke out in favor of a constitutional amendment in Thuringia in order to clearly regulate the election of the Minister President in future. The passage according to which the person with the most yes votes is elected in the third ballot creates a lot of uncertainty, he said. Thuringia should base any changes on regulations in other federal states such as Saxony.
In his opinion, this also applies to a limit on the duration of government formation as well as a passage according to which the state parliament is deemed dissolved if no prime minister is elected within a certain number of months. This would require a two-thirds majority in the state parliament, which is currently not foreseeable.
General Secretary: SPD "fights" against austerity budget
Maier made it clear that the SPD stands by the welfare state and the defense of democracy. However, it must sharpen its profile as a social party. In its government program, it advocates, among other things, the introduction of free lunches for all children in daycare centers and schools. In addition, education from kindergarten to master's or academic master's degrees should be free of contributions and fees.
As a guest at the party conference, SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert made it clear that the Social Democrats will oppose cuts in the social sector in the further federal budget negotiations for 2024. "Social cuts at the expense of those who have worked their butts off for society is not something we will go along with." The SPD is concerned with a capable state that invests and renews the promise of social cohesion. "The SPD is fighting to ensure that it does not become an austerity budget and that the poorest do not suffer," Kühnert called out.
On the other hand, Kühnert sees scope for cuts to the tax privilege on property sales, where income is currently tax-free after ten years. He also reiterated the SPD proposal to abolish the tax privilege of spousal splitting for future marriages.
Link to motions and the government program
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Source: www.stern.de
