Status: 04.12.2021 2:21 p.m.
The Social Democrats approved the traffic light coalition agreement at their extraordinary party congress with a majority of almost 99 percent. Now the Greens and the FDP still have to agree.
The SPD was the first of the three traffic light parties to approve the coalition agreement with the Greens and the FDP. At the special party conference, 598 delegates voted yes, there were seven votes against and three abstentions, which, according to the SPD, corresponded to an approval rate of 98.8 percent.
Before the vote, the future Chancellor Olaf Scholz had asked for approval. “It will be a government of three parties who want to risk more progress for Germany,” said Scholz. There is now “the chance that a new departure can take place for Germany”. Such a departure is also a risk, said Scholz. But this risk is “necessary and right, because we have an idea of how it will end well”. The previous Vice Chancellor promised a government that would take risks and not duck back.
“The SPD party conference was peppered with extremely high praise for the election campaign and for Scholz,” Nicole Kohnert, ARD Berlin
tagesschau24 2 p.m., December 4, 2021
Scholz wants to rule for more than four years
In addition, Scholz reiterated his goal of staying in government for more than four years. The Ampel-Coalition came up “to work together in a friendly way and to be re-elected,” said Scholz at the SPD party congress.
The chancellor-designate also emphasized that much of the SPD election program can be found in the coalition agreement. He cited the minimum wage of twelve euros as an example. “He’ll come, that’s for sure.”
In addition, Scholz defended the stricter corona restrictions, especially for unvaccinated people, and campaigned for a boost in vaccinations. It is “the most important first task that we have to tackle” to protect the health of the citizens and fight the pandemic with all our might. The future government will begin immediately.
Esken calls Ampel a historical event
The SPD chairwoman Saskia Esken described the formation of a new federal government with the Greens and FDP as a historic event. We write history with the traffic light, “she said. At the same time, however, she called the triad a risk.” Progress does not come alone, you have to dare, “she said.
Her co-boss Norbert Walter-Borjans also demanded that his party also pursue goals in a traffic light coalition that the FDP and the Greens do not share. The SPD must be a source of inspiration and not just the “speaker of the government,” he said. No partner was able to put all of the concerns into the coalition agreement, which is why one now has to struggle further.
Tomorrow the FDP votes
Walter-Borjans emphasized: “We are back with full strength, social democracy is the leading force in this country.” It is now a matter of releasing the brakes – which the Union has recently always prevented. “The brakes have lost,” said Walter-Borjans with a view to the general election in September. The CDU and CSU would now have to go to the opposition bench – and they urgently need to reflect on themselves.
On Sunday, an FDP party congress will vote on the coalition agreement, on Monday the result of a strike vote by the Greens will be announced. The coalition agreement will then be signed on Tuesday and the previous SPD Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz will be elected Chancellor on Wednesday.