- Ramelow emphasizes the necessity of taking action centered around elections in Thuringia.
The Left will carry on with initiatives like providing a third free preschool year or developing a state-owned housing corporation, regardless of the election result. This was stated by the party leaders in Erfurt during their 90-day program presentation. Bodo Ramelow, who leads the minority government and is the Left's main candidate, stated after the election that he would aim for negotiations among democratic parties to create a stable majority government. He's open to discussions with all parties, excluding the far-right AfD.
Ramelow, who's been in power for a while now, as per various polls, has limited prospects of winning re-election.
Left politician Jan van Aken, aspiring for federal chairmanship, predicts better performance in the state election than predicted by polls. "We'll gain momentum in the final stages," van Aken told RTL and ntv. "We'll make it up to 20 percent for sure." Currently, the Left scores between 13 and 14 percent, down from 31 percent in 2019.
Van Aken doesn't dismiss a coalition with the Alliance for Progress and Social Justice (BSW), but expresses reservations. "A BSW Chief Minister? They don't even have the manpower for that. We'll see what happens post-election."
Katja Wolf, BSW's Thuringia top candidate, has ruled out a coalition with the AfD, but not with the Left. "That depends on the election results," she said in the 'Berlin Playbook Podcast' of 'Politico'. Wolf: "I don't think it's impossible if we can together form a stable majority in Thuringia."
Ramelow accused Wolf of stating, after joining BSW from the Left, that her objective was to keep the AfD and its top candidate Björn Höcke in check, "but the opposite happened. She's weakened us."
The Left, led by Ulrike Grande-Röthig in Thuringia, wants to reduce parents' childcare expenses. The funding of kindergartens should be shared between the state and municipalities, said Ramelow. The aim is to gradually make childcare and education completely cost-free in Thuringia.
Grande-Röthig stated that the Left, being in power for ten years, will continue to work constructively on addressing state issues in the parliament after the election. "We have a responsibility to keep this state governable." Ramelow clarified that his party couldn't implement several projects due to the absence of a majority in the red-red-green minority government.
Among the projects the Left is dedicated to are establishing a state housing development company, which aims to build around 1,500 affordable rental apartments by 2030. The party also plans to introduce a law in the state parliament to hinder large-scale farmland acquisition by investment companies. Furthermore, the party plans a state ticket for 28 euros for individuals under 28 and the establishment of a central state immigration authority, said co-chair Christian Schaft.
The Left, being in power in Thuringia's Landtag, has proposed establishing a state housing development company to build affordable rental apartments. The party also intends to introduce a law in the state parliament to prevent large-scale farmland acquisition by investment companies.
Regardless of the election result, the Left in Thuringia's Landtag is committed to continuing their initiatives, including the development of a state-owned housing corporation.
