"That's what annoys people"
On September 1st, elections for a new state parliament will take place in Saxony. If things went his way, Michael Kretschmer of the CDU would continue to govern the Free State for another five years. However, he needs coalition partners for this. He clarified this during the ARD talk show "Maischberger."
Kretschmer comes across as a good figure: The Saxon Minister-President from the CDU is a guest on the ARD talk show "Maischberger." They discuss calmly. However, when Maischberger asks Kretschmer how he would end the Ukrainian war, Kretschmer gets angry. He has been saying this for two years, he emphasizes. But Maischberger had only asked for his opinion for the voters, he insists, who cannot understand the politician's frustration.
However, Kretschmer is right. His voters know exactly what he wants: A negotiated solution. For almost two and a half years. The recipes of others have not worked, he says. Yes, he knows that CDU chairman Friedrich Merz has a different opinion, but the CDU is a people's party, and one can think differently than the chairman. And Merz, unlike Federal Chancellor Scholz, at least has a stance, while the Chancellor changes his opinion daily.
In short, Kretschmer wants the war in Ukraine to end quickly. To achieve this, he proposes diplomatic solutions: China, Turkey, India, Brazil, or South Africa should be involved. One must enter these negotiations without preconditions. "And then, there won't be a perfect peace solution. Many people can't accept that." At the end of the negotiations, it might be possible for Ukraine to lose some parts of its territory. But then the killing would stop, and Germany could invest the money currently being spent on both sides killing each other into its own security.
Who will govern with whom in Saxony?
"Ukraine must not lose, and that's why we must help it to stabilize," adds Kretschmer. In other words, according to Kretschmer's view, Ukraine should continue to be supported with weapons as long as there are no peace negotiations. "That's the difference with BSW and the AfD," says the politician - but he's wrong. Exactly the same proposal was made by BSW founder Sahra Wagenknecht on the previous Thursday at Markus Lanz on ZDF.
However, it remains uncertain whether such a coalition between the CDU and BSW could be formed after the Landtag elections on September 1st in Saxony. Kretschmer remains silent on this matter. However, he has few other options. After all, there is still no party congress decision of the CDU not to coalition with the BSW. And if Kretschmer also keeps his coalition preferences a secret, he already knows exactly with whom it won't work.
With the AfD, of course. And with the Left. And with the Greens. Not much is left. The FDP is unlikely to make it into the parliament according to the latest polls, and the SPD is below seven percent or even below that if they make it into parliament in Dresden at all. Therefore, the absolute majority of the governing Kenya coalition, i.e., black, red, and green, is uncertain according to the latest polls.
It's not about the Greens
"Ukraine must not lose, and that's why we must help it to stabilize," Kretschmer adds. In other words, according to Kretschmer's view, Ukraine should continue to be supported with weapons as long as there are no peace negotiations. "That's the difference with BSW and the AfD," says the politician - but he's wrong. Exactly the same proposal was made by BSW founder Sahra Wagenknecht on the previous Thursday at Markus Lanz on ZDF.
However, it remains uncertain whether such a coalition between the CDU and BSW could be formed after the Landtag elections on September 1st in Saxony. Kretschmer is silent on this matter. However, he has few other options. After all, there is still no party congress decision of the CDU not to coalition with the BSW. And if Kretschmer also keeps his coalition preferences a secret, he already knows exactly with whom it won't work.
With the AfD, of course. And with the Left. The FDP is unlikely to make it into the parliament according to the latest polls, and the SPD is below seven percent or even below that if they make it into parliament in Dresden at all. Therefore, the absolute majority of the governing Kenya coalition, i.e., black, red, and green, is uncertain according to the latest polls.
Unclear is also what Kretschmer in Saxony really has against the Greens. "We have mastered difficult situations and made many future decisions. And we have never practiced this mutual blackmailing, as it happened in Berlin. It was always clear: If something is important for the country, it will be done. And that's something very Pleasant and Positive", is his analysis of the last five years of the Kenya Coalition. But it's not about the Saxon Greens for Kretschmer. It's about those in the Bundestag, regarding the Heating Law. "I would like to form a coalition without the Greens, because it can't go on like this", says Kretschmer.
However, somehow Kretschmer can still imagine coming to terms with the hated traffic light coalition. However, only in one point. On a Wednesday morning, the CDU politician had already suggested this in Deutschlandfunk: A special fund for the infrastructure of the railway. "But that only has value if one pushes the Greens a little to the side and removes this obstruction of participation in building law", so Kretschmer. What he means by that: In his opinion, the Greens are blocking the expansion of railway tracks for reasons of nature conservation. "That has to stop. That's what bothers people", says Kretschmer.
In the upcoming state elections in Saxony on September 1st, Michael Kretschmer of the CDU hopes to continue governing the state with coalition partners. Despite differing opinions with CDU chairman Friedrich Merz, Kretschmer emphasizes that the CDU is a people's party, allowing for diverse thoughts within the party.
