The parties position themselves for the Bundestag election. Follow all developments in the news blog.
CDU boss Armin Laschet says he sees himself as the Union’s candidate for chancellor sufficiently supported by incumbent Angela Merkel – even if she has not yet directly called for his election. He does not feel that Merkel is holding back on support, said Laschet at the presentation of the book “Angela Merkel. The Chancellor and Her Time” by the historian and journalist Ralph Bollmann in Berlin. “You have to hold an election rally yourself. By the way, you don’t inherit a chancellery. You have to fight for that.”
In the Union, there is hidden criticism that Merkel is not sufficiently committed to Laschet in the election campaign. When asked by reporters, the CDU chief said: “This is the most important office in Europe. And that requires that whoever wants it fight for it himself and not depend on the favor of the predecessor.” He added: “I’m completely at peace with her. We talk a lot. She supports wherever she can.” But it is “not the case that she goes to the election stages with me and stands next to me and makes election recommendations”.
He thinks this is appropriate and correct. There will be more opportunities to see who she wants as a successor. (01.09.2021)
Scholz reacts calmly to Merkel’s criticism
SPD Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz takes the criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) on his election campaign calmly. Merkel emphasized the different attitudes of her and Scholz to the Left Party on Tuesday. With her there would never be a coalition in which the left is involved – Scholz, on the other hand, leaves this question open. “In this context it is simply the case that there is a huge difference for the future of Germany between him and me,” Merkel had said.
The statement did not surprise him, “as a former federal chairman of the CDU you should give this answer,” said Scholz the SWR. Nevertheless, he continues to work well with the Chancellor.
Scholz has not expressly ruled out a coalition with the Left Party on several occasions in the past few days, but has tied any formation of a government to principles such as a clear commitment to membership in NATO. The left wants Germany to leave NATO. Scholz told the SWR that he insists on a good partnership with the USA in every coalition and that he wants to strengthen NATO. He could imagine working with the Greens, but also with the FDP. (01.09.2021)
Laschet: Merz is the “economic and financial face”
Union Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet has promised former parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz an important future role. Laschet said on Tuesday at the Economic Day of the Economic Council of the CDU that Merz was the “economic and financial face” that would also shape federal politics after the election. The Union has a broad team, which Merz belongs to, said Laschet. Merz was inferior to Laschet in the fight for party leadership.
His team will be visible “very soon,” said Laschet. Looking at SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz, he said that he hoped that when his team became visible, that Scholz would be asked where his team was: “Where are all the people who are now tied up somewhere in back rooms so that they can be seen Don’t give interviews? I want to see all of them who will then become ministers. “
The CDU candidate for chancellor had not yet named any members of his possible government team and was therefore increasingly criticized within his own ranks. After the meeting of the CDU presidium on Monday, Laschet presented the CDU members of the Bundestag Thomas Heilmann and Andreas Jung as well as the young politician Wiebke Winter as a team for climate protection. At the same time, however, he had emphasized that this was not a stipulation for possible cabinet positions. (08/31/2021)
Left rejects commitment to NATO
The left has rejected calls for commitments to NATO after the first major televised debate between the Chancellor candidates from the Union, the SPD and the Greens. Nevertheless, the party has confirmed its will to co-govern after the federal election. In contrast to Laschet, Baerbock and Scholz do not rule out a coalition with the left. Scholz recently linked a possible alliance with a clear commitment to NATO several times, which the left continues to reject: This would mean “actually giving a vote to a war alliance,” said party leader Susanne Hennig-Wellsow.
The party’s foreign policy spokesman, Gregor Gysi, made a similar statement mirrors. “After this fiasco, anyone who believes the world would be safer if Germany put even more billions in taxes into armaments and European troops without them United States Would have to be able to wage wars, thinks completely past the realities. “Nevertheless, Gysi, like the party leaders Susanne Hennig-Wellsow and Janine Wissler, was open to a red-red-green alliance after the federal election. Wissler said in the Heute-Journal:” I am very happy that, according to the polls, it looks like it is possible to initiate a government beyond the CDU and FDP. That is why one should talk about what would be possible with three people, on issues of redistribution, climate protection and affordable rents. “
According to Hennig-Wellsow, the focus of possible negotiations must be peace and security policy, not confrontation. On the question of a red-red-green coalition, Hennig-Wellsow said it was about a different monetary and asset policy in Germany. This excludes the Union and the FDP as partners. In this respect, there is “incomprehension” “why the SPD and the Greens are now entrenched without seeing what chances we as a three-party alliance have to actually change this country for the better”.
The left is the social conscience and guarantees that the welfare state will continue to exist. “And because we are the only ones to fulfill this mandate, it is as clear to us as dumpling that we want to be part of a government, as long as it fits arithmetically.” Hennig-Wellsow added that everyone would have to negotiate and compromise, “not just the left”. In its election manifesto, the left calls for the dissolution of NATO and wants to replace it with a collective security system with Russian participation. (08/31/2021)