Advice on black and red: rising AfD values ​​overshade coalition negotiations

Top negotiators from the CDU, CSU and SPD are further struggling in view of an AfD, which is becoming increasingly stronger in surveys, for the financing of central projects of a black and red coalition. “In order to make the AfD smaller again, it depends on the fact that we are now delivering. That we are writing down a coalition agreement that we can carry out projects that we can also meet,” said SPD boss Saskia Esken about the coalition negotiations at the CDU headquarters in Berlin. Leading representatives of the CDU and CSU were similar.

Six weeks after the Bundestag election, the AfD is on par with the Union for the first time. CDU/CSU and AfD come to 24 percent in a survey by the opinion research institute Insa for the “Bild” newspaper. For the AfD, this is a plus of one point compared to the Insa survey a week ago and its best value in the survey so far. The election winner, the Union around the CDU chairman and likely future Chancellor Friedrich Merz, loses two points.

The Union won the election on February 23 at 28.5 percent. The AfD landed in second place with 20.8 percent.

Esken: Create security in pension, education and workplaces

Esken said when he arrived at the Konrad-Adenauer-Haus, with the financial packages for infrastructure and defense, a lot had already been promoted. “But clearly it has to be clarified: How do we stabilize our pension? How do we ensure that education and support becomes more fairer and more reliable and much more.” One has to “make sure that the provision of services is reliably at the side again, that they have security, also as far as their jobs are concerned. And then we will do it,” she said with a view to the AfD.

Freely confident about negotiating next week

The parliamentary managing director of the Union faction in the Bundestag, Thorsten Frei (CDU), who is considered a close confidante of Merz, said: “There are still a lot of points that we have to talk about today. But I am very confident that we will come to a result next week.” It is about “completing the negotiations as quickly as possible, but also as good as possible”.

If you get a good result, the Union will help the Union most to get out of the current survey low, added to the AfD survey numbers. “At the end of the day, it is about forming a good government for Germany, forming a strong government that is able to overcome the challenges.”

Dobrindt: Want to perceive responsibility together

CSU state group leader Alexander Dobrindt sees a lot of willingness to get together with those involved. “Today we bend over the thick Klopper, that is, those topics that are not agreed now,” he said. “But there is a lot of willingness to get together, a lot of will to argue. Responsibility, which is at the top, we want to perceive them together.” In the past week, the negotiations were very far.

When asked about a survey in which the AfD is equal to the Union for the first time, Dobrindt said: “People rightly expect that there is a coalition result, which meets expectations, which also reproduces the election result. We are doing exactly on that.”

Dobrindt, who came with a lot of luggage, was moody about the planned further negotiations. He did not intend to stay in the Adenauerhaus. He added: “Today we want to escape the warehouse.” Esken was also optimistic about the success of the negotiations. She said, “I am very confident that we will come to a conclusion, but I cannot provide any information about the appointment.” The negotiations in a large group are to be continued this Monday.

Spahn: Must regain trust

Union negotiators Jens Spahn (CDU) said that the surveys and the election result showed that trust had to be recovered massively. “It has to be better for the country. That is what concerns us all and where we try to find good compromises.” He added: “We want to give the country growth again, we want to give society stability, give confidence.”