If the CDU wins the election in Hesse, it wants to talk to the Greens, SPD and FDP about a coalition
Attacks on AfD politicians? – “Very strange occurrences”
The Hesse Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) is combative two days before the state elections in Hesse. In an interview with WELT-TV editor-in-chief Jan Philipp Burgard, he also talks about possible coalition partners: “We would also be willing to talk to the Social Democrats and the FDP.”
The CDU is in the lead in polls for the state elections in Hesse. If he wins the election, Prime Minister Boris Rhein wants to explore not only the Greens, but also the SPD and FDP. When it comes to migration, he advises the traffic light to return to the Dublin Agreement.
DHe Hesse’s Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) wants to talk to the Greens, SPD and FDP about forming a government if he wins the election on Sunday. The black-green coalition has worked well for over ten years, said Rhein on Friday on WELT TALK on the WELT news channel. “But I think democrats have to be able to connect with each other, and that’s why we would of course be willing to talk to the Social Democrats and the FDP.”
In exploratory talks or coalition negotiations you have to look: “Where can you implement most of your policies and with whom it fits best?” continued Rhein. The CDU politician ruled out talks with the AfD.
However, Rhein rejected considerations in the Hesse SPD to drastically reduce car traffic: “We will not have such a policy.” In Hesse, the car is “not just a promise of freedom”, but “above all a promise of prosperity”. The automotive industry is particularly important in Hesse; 240,000 jobs depend on it. That’s why he says very clearly: “The combustion engine must have a future.” But of course we also invest in local public transport and bicycle paths.
Rhein has been Prime Minister of Hesse since 2022. A new state parliament will be elected in Hesse on Sunday. In the current “ZDF political barometer” the CDU is at 32 percent. According to the polls, the SPD and the Greens could each expect 17 percent of the vote, the AfD with 16. The FDP would have to worry about entering the state parliament with five and three percent respectively.
Rhein calls for enforcement of Dublin rules
One of the defining issues in the election campaign in Hesse, but also in Bavaria, is how to deal with the growing number of migrants and asylum seekers who are reaching Germany. In this regard, Rhein called for more consistent enforcement of the Dublin Agreement. “We have to go back to the Dublin procedure. And that means: If someone has already been to another European country, then they can no longer make the claim in Germany,” said Rhein.
When asked why this requirement of the Basic Law is no longer being implemented at the German borders, Rhein referred to case law: “That’s why we have to sharpen the mechanisms again and ensure that it’s the same again. I think this is one of the most important points and is particularly important for Germany because of course we have no external borders.”
The CDU state chairman advised the federal government not to rely solely on the possible new EU asylum law to solve the migration crisis: “These are all things that only have an impact in the long term, not even in the medium term.” But measures to control and limit things are needed quickly of migration.
Rhein called for an automatism in the area of safe third countries: “If there is a recognition rate of less than five percent, such a country must automatically be a safe country of origin. That would have an immediate effect now.” There should also be situation-dependent stationary border controls at the German borders as well as the long-announced repatriation offensive.