Ramelow: Need for minority government is covered

Prime Minister - 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 Greens is his goal in the state elections scheduled for September 1, 2024. Ramelow, who is to bring the Left Party the necessary votes once again as the lead candidate, has thus committed himself 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 led to internal tensions and the search for compromises.

"The tablecloth between us has not been cut," said Ramelow, despite the disputes over migration policy and a change of ministers carried out by the Greens last year. 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. At a party conference in December, SPD state leader and Interior Minister Georg Maier made clear the Social Democrats' desire to govern, but did not make a firm commitment to continue the red-red-green coalition. Maier did say, however, that a minority coalition with the CDU and FDP, the current opposition parties, was out of the question for the SPD in the event of changing majorities.

Voter vote and mental exercise

First of all, it was a matter of conducting the election campaign, said Ramelow. "To keep debating constellations now would be to disregard the voters. I prefer to stand in front of the voters and wait for the sovereign's vote. After 6 p.m. on September 1, we can all consider what the voters have given us as a mental exercise," said the Left Party politician.

In an election poll conducted by Insa on behalf of Funke Medien Thüringen just 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 is classified as far-right by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, with 34% and the CDU with 22%. The SPD came in at 9%. Both the Greens and the FDP had to worry about crossing the five percent hurdle. The margin of error of the survey was +/- 3.1 percentage points. For the survey, 1,000 Thuringians aged 18 and over were questioned between October 30 and November 7.

Election polls are generally always subject to uncertainties. 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, surveys only reflect the opinion at the time of the survey and are not a forecast of the election outcome.

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1. Despite uncertainties regarding the SPD's plans, Thuringia's Minister President Bodo Ramelow is committed to a red-red-green government constellation in the upcoming state elections.
2. In 2014, Ramelow ended the CDU's two-decade rule in Thuringia and formed the first red-red-green coalition with the SPD and Greens.
3. Since 2020, the red-red-green coalition in Thuringia has been operating as a minority government, leading to internal tensions and the need for compromises.
4. The FDP, one of the opposition parties in Thuringia, has not been mentioned in the current government constellation.
5. In the last election poll, red-red-green did not have a majority in Thuringia, making the formation of a government challenging.
6. Georg Maier, the SPD state leader and Interior Minister in Thuringia, has expressed a desire for the SPD to govern but has not committed to continuing the red-red-green coalition.
7. If there is a change in majorities, the SPD has ruled out the possibility of forming a minority coalition with the CDU and FDP.
8. In an election poll conducted by Insa, the Left Party, which topped the polls in 2019, has dropped to 20%, while the AfD and CDU have increased their shares.
9. Ramelow, the Left Party's lead candidate for the 2024 state elections, has urged focusing on the election campaign rather than debating government constellations in advance.

Source: www.stern.de