Live blog
Status: 23.09.2021 8:53 a.m.
SPD party vice Kühnert calls for a member survey in the event of a possible coalition formation. In view of rising gas prices, Green leader Baerbock is calling for a tougher pace with Russia. The developments in relation to the federal election.
- Kühnert wants a member survey to form a coalition
- Baerbock: Tougher pace compared to Russia
- Esken for new borrowing
8:55 am
Söder warns again against left shift
The CSU leader and Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder has again warned against a shift to the left after the federal election. “Because it is clear: If the SPD is only one mandate ahead, there is either a left-wing coalition or a traffic light,” said Söder in the joint Morning magazine from ARD and ZDF. “Both mean a shift to the left in Germany.”
For the Union it is a matter of toiling every percent over the last few meters. “All that counts is winning,” said Söder. Statements by CDU Vice Volker Bouffier, for example, according to which the Union could sound out a government under its leadership after the general election, even if the SPD becomes the strongest force, Söder considers rather counterproductive.
8:52 am
Kühnert criticizes Lindner as “Luftikus”
Shortly before the federal election, SPD Vice Kevin Kühnert questioned the reliability of FDP leader Christian Lindner and thus also questioned the chances of success of conceivable talks about a traffic light coalition. “Christian Lindner is a fanatic,” said Kühnert, who is counted on the left wing of the SPD, to the “Rheinische Post” when asked how much he was looking forward to Lindner as a possible partner in a traffic light alliance.
The former Juso boss criticized that the FDP chairman had already committed himself to the Union candidate Armin Laschet as chancellor in this election campaign, to the finance ministry for the FDP and to a clear rejection of a Chancellor of the Greens. “Lindner is a player who even wants to give tax relief to the super-rich, but at the same time has no serious financial concept. I wonder which party he would like to work with on this windy basis,” said Kühnert.
8:32 am
For the first time, 85,000 people with disabilities are allowed to vote
For the first time, a special group is taking part in a federal election: around 85,000 people with full support are allowed to vote. Up until around two years ago, Paragraph 13 of the Federal Election Act stated that up until now it was not possible to vote “who does not have the right to vote as a result of a judge’s verdict”, as well as people with an intellectual disability who live in “permanent full care” and “culpable offenders”, who are housed in psychiatric hospitals.
This regulation was overturned by the Federal Constitutional Court in 2019. Reason: The blanket exclusion violates the principle of equal treatment and the prohibition of discrimination against people with disabilities. The Bundestag then decided to change the law, which the Union and SPD had already agreed in their coalition agreement.
8:03 am
Kühnert wants a member survey to form a coalition
SPD party vice-president Kevin Kühnert expects that the SPD will not join a new federal government without questioning its members. “The extensive membership participation around questions of coalition formation is a success, the SPD has set standards here,” says Kühnert of the “Rheinische Post”. “I assume that it will stay that way. We are a participant party.”
In 2019, after Andrea Nahles’ resignation, the approximately 400,000 members were allowed to vote on a dual leadership. Kühnert considers it unnecessary to involve the members in order to conduct exploratory talks or coalition negotiations at all: “The elected party executive certainly has the necessary leap of faith for this.”
07:51 am
Baerbock: Tougher pace compared to Russia
The Green Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock has sharply criticized Russia for the steep rise in gas prices and called on the German government to take a tougher approach towards Russia. “Russia is very reluctant to supply natural gas to Europe. One reason for this is obvious: The Putin regime wants to build political pressure to get the outstanding permits for Nord Stream 2 faster and thus to bring the pipeline into operation,” said Baerbock to the editorial network Germany RND.
Green Chancellor candidate Annalena Baerbock has sharply criticized Russia for the steep rise in gas prices and called on the German government to take a tougher course against Russia.
Image: dpa
The federal government pushed the pipeline forward, despite all concerns and warnings, said Baerbock. “That takes revenge, because Germany is now in the blackmail situation that was extensively warned.”
07:48 am
Lindner thinks Laschet is a better chancellor
FDP leader Christian Lindner has named Union chancellor candidate Armin Laschet as the better chancellor. He said that in the ZDF when asked whether Laschet or the SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz is the better head of government. He knows the CDU leader from the black-yellow coalition in North Rhine-Westphalia, where they work together “in partnership”. “Much of what the federal government needs is implemented there,” he adds.
7.45 a.m.
Esken for new borrowing
The SPD chairwoman, Saskia Esken, speaks out in favor of new federal debt because of the investment backlog in many areas and the challenges posed by digitization. “It goes without saying that you can take out loans for investments in education, climate protection, health, digitization and socio-economic change. And it is also urgently necessary,” said Esken of “Welt”.
According to the SPD’s plans, the federal government should provide 50 billion euros per year for investments over the next ten years. That must have priority over a balanced federal budget, in which the expenditure does not exceed the income, said the SPD leader.