Blackberry Coalition
Talks to form a government have started in Thuringia
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The possible blackberry coalition in Thuringia has overcome an important hurdle and reached an agreement on the peace issue. Criticism of this came quickly. Nevertheless, the CDU, BSW and SPD are taking the next step.
The state leaders of the CDU, BSW and SPD met in Thuringia for an initial discussion on forming a government. The two-hour working meeting discussed, among other things, the composition of working groups and the schedule, said a spokesman for the Thuringian CDU state parliamentary group. Specific details will only be announced once there is clarity on the issues. This means that another hurdle has been overcome on the way to a possible blackberry coalition in the Free State.
A total of seven negotiating groups are planned on topics such as the economy and migration. Among other things, it must be clarified which party is the chair of each group. As soon as the substantive negotiations start, the parties want to give each other two weeks. It is not yet clear when it will start, said the CDU parliamentary group spokesman.
Criticism by Sahra Wagenknecht
On Monday, the negotiators presented a compromise on the controversial peace issue, i.e. the BSW’s demands for positions on the Ukraine war and the planned stationing of US medium-range missiles in Germany. The result was criticized by BSW party founder Sahra Wagenknecht. From her point of view, the Thuringian compromise falls short of the agreement found in Brandenburg, she told several media outlets. But the exploratory paper also falls short of expectations in Thuringian state politics, Wagenknecht told “Welt”. When it comes to social housing, the maintenance of hospitals, a Corona amnesty law or “better control of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution”, people are falling short of their own demands. “A lot still needs to be achieved in the coalition negotiations if we don’t want to massively disappoint our voters,” said Wagenknecht.
Other BSW federal politicians also expressed clear criticism. The Federal Treasurer Ralph Suikat and the Parliamentary Manager in the Bundestag, Jessica Tatti, demanded that BSW positions on peace and dealing with Corona must be reflected in a government. “Otherwise you have to let it go – now,” they wrote in a guest article on the news portal “t-online”. The two Thuringian state party leaders Katja Wolf and Steffen Schütz are “well on the way to making the BSW a party that doesn’t need another one.” Wolf rejected criticism from his own party in the “Welt” and emphasized her willingness to participate in the upcoming negotiations for a “blackberry” coalition. “In the coalition negotiations, we are concerned with a clear commitment to peace and diplomacy and stable conditions in Thuringia,” continued the BSW state leader.
Tough negotiations on the peace preamble
The parties had already agreed on an exploratory paper with key content over a week ago. However, the Thuringian BSW board and Wagenknecht had insisted on agreeing on a peace formula for the preamble to a possible coalition agreement before coalition negotiations. This had led to tough negotiations in Erfurt in the past few days.
In comparison to a similar agreement between the SPD and BSW in Brandenburg, the preamble now presented stipulates, among other things, that the parties have different opinions on the issue of arms deliveries to Ukraine. Furthermore, it does not say that the possible coalition partners reject the stationing of US medium-range missiles in Germany. Instead, it is said that many citizens view this critically.
Wagenknecht had repeatedly insisted that possible new coalition governments in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg take a position against the US stationing of weapons in Germany if the BSW were involved.
Blackberry coalition would not have a majority in the state parliament
A government made up of the CDU, BSW and SPD would have 44 of 88 seats in the Thuringian state parliament. For majorities, it would depend on at least one vote from the opposition, which consists of the AfD and the Left. The blackberry parties had already made it clear that they did not want to conclude a toleration or toleration agreement with the left. Instead, there should be a consultation process for draft laws.
The co-chair of the Thuringian Left, Ulrike Grosse-Röthig, called on the SPD in particular to take another look at “whether the so-called consultation process is the crown jewel of the art of negotiation and is worth relying on Björn Höcke’s voice “. Höcke is the state and parliamentary group leader of the Thuringian AfD, which the state Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified as proven right-wing extremist.
The acting Thuringian Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (Left) said in the ntv program “#beisenherz” about Wagenknecht’s criticism of the agreement: “That is not appropriate.” He is also a supporter of the federal state. “If we now start to intervene in the central state’s responsibility in the federal states, then the central state will also take action.”
dpa
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.