After the federal election
Söder is relying on a coalition with the SPD and Pistorius
For CSU leader Markus Söder, Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) could become the new strong man for the Social Democrats in the post-Scholz era. photo
© Peter Kneffel/dpa
Although CSU leader Söder complains about the traffic lights in the federal government every day – he also does not believe that the coalition will collapse before the regular election date in 2025. He has clear ideas for what will happen afterwards.
For Söder, the incumbent Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) could become the new strong man for the Social Democrats in the post-Scholz era; with him “as a junior partner, more can be imagined,” emphasized Söder. Söder reiterated that a coalition with the Greens was unthinkable for his party: “In any case, we don’t want black-green.”
Rejection of the Greens is not without controversy
Söder’s categorical and early rejection of the Greens is not without controversy in the Union – the CDU leadership, for example, views such preliminary determinations critically, as they drastically limit the Union’s room for maneuver in negotiations. No such preliminary decisions have been attributed to CDU leader Friedrich Merz, but those around him say that he does not share Söder’s reservations against the Greens.
According to the report, Söder does not expect the ruling traffic light coalition to break up prematurely. “Based on the current political situation, it is likely that the traffic light will last until the end. The FDP has the biggest problem of all, because it is in a credibility crisis,” he said. Unless something unexpected happens, the SPD, Greens and FDP would continue to govern. “For Germany, this means another lost year. The traffic lights will no longer be able to solve any problems. The traffic lights are the problem.”