Government formation: Union and SPD set the last course for change of government

One day before the Chancellor’s election in the Bundestag, the CDU, CSU and SPD make the final preparations for the change of government today. With the signing of the coalition agreement, the four chairs of the three parties want to seal the fifth black and red alliance in the history of the Federal Republic at noon.

Immediately in front of it, the SPD presents its ministers for the new government on the last minister. In the afternoon, the Union also clarifies two personal details in the parliamentary group. And after sunset, a farewell to power, which will no longer play a major role in German politics in the future.

The SPD and its men from Lower Saxony

The Union presented its personnel table a week ago, the SPD is much more difficult. So far, she has only officially announced that party leader Lars Klingbeil should become Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister and thus the second most powerful man in the government next to the designated Chancellor Friedrich Merz from the CDU. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is also set, who can remain safe in surveys as the most popular politician.

Since both are from Lower Saxony and regional proporz plays a major role in every government formation, a compatriot goes away empty -handed: Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil. He also thrown the towel in the struggle for the parliamentary group on Sunday. It should now get a fourth lower axis, but which has the advantage over Heil, unlike the Minister Klingbeil and Pistorius, to belong to the left party wing. This also plays a major role for the inner party balance.

Four SPD women should go to the cabinet

The SPD wants to send four women and three men to the cabinet. The only man next to Klingbeil and Pistorius is likely to be the previous East Commissioner Carsten Schneider from Thuringia who is traded for the environment. President of the Bundestag Bärbel BAS is considered a fairly safe successor to Heil in the Ministry of Labor.

The Rhineland-Palatinate Minister of Education Stefanie Hubig was most recently called for the judicial department. “Politico” reported in the evening that the decision was made for her. The deputy group leader Verena Hubertz has also been traded for a top position for a long time-either a minister of construction or SPD general secretary.

The most exciting question at the SPD tableau will be: What will become of the much criticized party leader Saskia ESKE? Is she changing from the Willy-Brandt-Haus to the cabinet? Maybe as a development minister? Or does she stay outside? The latter reports “politico” and calls the previous integration officer Reem Alabali-Radovan for the development department. Then the question would remain whether Esken wants to fight for the party chair.

Spahn is said to have Union faction – CSU chooses Dobrindt successor

At the CDU/CSU, larger personnel quarrels have so far remained. In the afternoon (4:00 p.m.), the Union members of the Bundestag want to vote for the former Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) as the successor to Merz as their new chairman.

The 44-year-old Spahn has been in the Bundestag for more than 20 years. As a health minister, the power-conscious Münsterländer was criticized during Corona pandemic, for example because of the purchase of allegedly overpriced protective masks.

The CSU MPs in the Bundestag previously want to choose the previous parliamentary managing director Alexander Hoffmann as their new chairman. The 50 -year -old Lower Franconian is to follow Alexander Dobrindt as the state group leader, who is to become the interior minister. Of the total of 208 Union MPs in the Bundestag, 44 of the CSU belong.

Union and SPD are saying yes

With the solemn signing of the coalition agreement at noon (12 p.m.), the Union and SPD finally say yes. In the past, alliances of the CDU, CSU and SPD were called “grand coalition” or Groko because the three parties had a particularly large majority in the Bundestag. In the first such coalition from 1966 to 1969, they provided 90 percent of MPs. Today it is only 52 percent.

Merz has now baptized the new alliance “work coalition”. She has to pass her first test on Tuesday. The CDU boss needs the approval of the majority of all MPs to become Chancellor. That is 316 votes. The Bundestag includes 328 Union and SPD politicians. Despite the thin cushion, the choice of Merz ‘in the first ballot is considered pretty safe and the new government can go to work for exactly half a year after the traffic light coalition breaks.

Scholz is adopted with Bach, Beatles and “Respect”

With the presentation of the certificate of appointment to Merz by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Olaf Scholz’s chancellery ends after 1245 days. On the evening before, the Bundeswehr recognizes the SPD politician in front of the Ministry of Defense with a large tap.

The “Spiegel” had already reported on Thursday that Scholz wanted the Beatles from the Stab Music Corps for the ceremony “In My Life”. The mushroom heads laid the foundation for their career in his hometown of Hamburg. In addition, an excerpt from the “2nd Brandenburg Concert” by Johann Sebastian Bach is played for the Scholz, who is mainly living in Brandenburg’s capital Potsdam.

The end is the song “Respect”, which became a world hit in the version of Aretha Franklin. Respect was the central catchphrase of Scholz ‘successful Bundestag election campaign 2021. The Bundestag will also belong to the Bundestag after leaving as a chancellor. He has won a direct mandate in Potsdam and wants to perceive it until the end of the election period.