After the Hesse election on October 8th, it is still unclear who the election winner wants to govern with in the future. That could change quickly.
How does the CDU want to govern Hesse in the future – continue with the Greens or with the SPD? Almost five weeks after the state elections, Prime Minister Boris Rhein’s party could announce the eagerly awaited decision on its desired coalition partner this Friday, according to information from the German Press Agency. This week, further detailed exploratory talks between the CDU and the Greens and the SPD behind closed doors were planned.
The Berlin federal-state summit with Hesse as the chair of the Prime Minister’s Conference on Monday and early Tuesday morning interrupted the discussions for a coalition in Wiesbaden. The Hessian CDU leader and Prime Minister Boris Rhein had previously spoken of “atmospherically positive and substantively constructive” explorations in a strictly confidential context.
As the clear election winner, the CDU in Hesse can choose whether to forge a government alliance again in coalition talks with the Greens or with the previously oppositional SPD. The FDP, which only just made it back into the Wiesbaden state parliament, would not be mathematically necessary for this. The CDU is not exploring anything with the significantly strengthened, right-wing populist AfD.
The state parliament is constituted in January
According to dpa information, in the CDU there are votes for both a continuation of the black-green coalition and for a new black-red coalition. The CDU and the Greens governed together quite quietly for around a decade and thus created a basis of trust. With the SPD, on the other hand, there could be more overlap in content in some areas.
According to their own statements, the Greens would have to vote on a new coalition agreement with the CDU in a ballot of their almost 10,000 members in the country. According to its own information, the SPD has reserved December 16th for a party conference in the event of an agreement with the CDU, at which around 400 delegates could decide on a coalition agreement. The new 21st Hessian state parliament will be constituted on January 18, 2024. Before that, another plenary week for the previous parliament is planned in December.
Source: Stern
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