The road was not too long and apparently not too rocky either: CDU and SPD in Berlin agree on a coalition agreement. There are still two hurdles to clear before the new Senate can start.
A good three weeks after the start of their coalition negotiations, the CDU and SPD have largely completed their planned government program in Berlin. The German press agency learned this from negotiating circles after the RBB reported.
The allocation of departments, which representatives of both parties want to discuss in the evening, was still open. According to the information, the program also includes editorial work on the coalition agreement.
Over the weekend, the negotiators clarified and are still clarifying the last open points. The main question was how the projects should be paid for. On Monday, the election winners, the CDU and the SPD, will present their coalition agreement – the date has been fixed for a long time. So far, Berlin has been governed by a coalition of SPD, Greens and Left.
In the new state government, which is called the Senate in Berlin, the CDU and SPD each take over five Senate administrations. CDU country leader Kai Wegner is to become governing mayor after his party’s victory in the repeat election on February 12. He would be the successor to SPD chairwoman Franziska Giffey, who is to receive a senator post in the new government.
SPD member vote and CDU party congress are still pending
After the presentation of the coalition agreement, however, there are still two hurdles to be overcome on the way to a black-red Senate. The SPD starts a member vote, the result of which will be announced on April 23rd. The CDU will decide on the government program at a party conference, which is expected to take place after the SPD results have been announced.
The election of Wegner in the House of Representatives as head of government and the swearing-in of the senators can therefore take place at the end of April at the earliest, i.e. in just under four weeks. The fact that the Black-Red project will still fail at the party base is considered unlikely.
The coalition negotiations between the CDU and SPD started on March 9th. Apparently they went largely without stumbling. The leaders of both parties repeatedly praised what they saw as a good and constructive atmosphere.
The priorities of the negotiated government program include more housing construction, a billion-euro program for more climate protection, administrative reform and better equipment for the police and fire brigade. According to their own statements, it is also important for both parties to be committed to a colourful, diverse city in which people of all stripes are at home and can develop.
Source: Stern
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