Elections - Ramelow: Need for minority government is covered
Thuringia's Minister President Bodo Ramelow is sticking to the red-red-green government constellation in Thuringia despite uncertainties regarding the SPD's plans. "I am fighting for red-red-green", the Left Party politician told the German Press Agency in Erfurt.
A continuation of the Left Party's alliance with the SPD and the Greens is his goal in the state elections scheduled for September 1. Ramelow, who is once again expected to bring the Left Party the necessary votes as the lead candidate, has thus made a commitment, in contrast to his two coalition partners. In the last election poll in Thuringia, red-red-green did not have a majority.
Ramelow: The tablecloth is not cut
In 2014, Ramelow ended more than twenty years of CDU government in Thuringia and entered into the first red-red-green coalition with the SPD and Greens with a left-wing leader in Germany. Since 2020, the red-red-green coalition has governed Thuringia as a minority coalition, which has repeatedly caused internal tensions.
"The tablecloth between us has not been cut," said Ramelow, despite the disputes that arose last year in particular over migration policy and a change of minister by the Greens. The problems in migration policy were also a "jointly solvable task", said the head of government.
"Not aiming for a minority government "
Ramelow was cautious about another minority government, which would not be able to make any decisions in the state parliament without negotiating with the opposition. "I am not aiming for a minority government. My needs are actually covered."
The SPD and Greens also want to avoid a minority government as far as possible. SPD state leader and Interior Minister Georg Maier recently emphasized the Social Democrats' claim to government, but did not make a firm commitment to continue the red-red-green coalition.
In an election poll conducted by Insa on behalf of Funke Medien Thüringen just under ten months before the state election, the Left Party, which won the state election in 2019, came in at 20 percent. This put it behind the AfD, which has been classified as far-right by the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, with 34% and the CDU with 22%. The SPD achieved 9 percent. Both the Greens and the FDP had to worry about crossing the five percent hurdle.
Election polls are generally always fraught with uncertainty. Among other things, declining party loyalty and increasingly short-term election decisions make it difficult for opinion research institutes to weight the data collected. In principle, polls only reflect the opinion at the time of the survey and are not a forecast of the election outcome.
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- Despite uncertainties about the SPD's plans, Thuringia's Minister President Bodo Ramelow remains committed to a red-red-green government in the upcoming state election in September.
- The red-red-green coalition, led by Ramelow, has been governing Thuringia as a minority government since 2020, a situation that has led to internal tensions.
- In the last election poll in Thuringia, the red-red-green coalition did not have a majority, with the Left Party, SPD, and Greens each falling short.
- Ramelow, who served as the lead candidate for the Left Party in the 2019 state election, has set his goal on continuing the alliance with the SPD and Greens in the upcoming election.
- The CDU, which held power in Thuringia for over twenty years prior to Ramelow's victory in 2014, remains a significant player in the state's political landscape.
- The AfD, classified as far-right by the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, is currently projected to lead in the state election polls, while the SPD and the Green Party may struggle to maintain their seats.
- Bodo Ramelow, the Left Party politician who ended CDU rule in Thuringia, expressed optimism about the coalition's potential to overcome disputes on issues like migration policy and form a stable government after the state election.
Source: www.stern.de
