Lower Saxony has voted. The traffic light partners SPD and Greens can be satisfied. The FDP missed entering the state parliament. What impact does the result have on federal politics?
From the point of view of FDP chairman Christian Lindner, the outcome of the election in Lower Saxony poses a problem for the entire traffic light coalition in Berlin. “The traffic light as a whole has lost its legitimacy,” said Lindner on Monday in Berlin. The losses of the SPD and FDP would not be offset by the gains of the Greens. “In this respect, the FDP does not have a problem, but the traffic light as a whole must face the challenge of gaining more support for its policy in Germany.”
Lindner emphasized: “From our point of view, we have to rethink the balance between social equality, economic responsibility and economic reason so that the traffic light can work again overall.”
The FDP is currently not able to get enough support for its clear profile, said Lindner. The FDP is facing up to the challenge of “now working out and strengthening” the profile that has been recognized as correct. She takes her time for that. It’s about “how we turn on the position lights of the FDP”. Lindner rejected changes to the basic positions of his party. He also reiterated the demand to leave the three remaining nuclear power plants connected to the grid in view of the energy crisis. “It’s not politics, it’s physics.”
Klingbeil does not see traffic lights in danger
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil does not see the traffic light coalition in Berlin in danger after the electoral defeat of the FDP in Lower Saxony. “I’m not worried about the ability of the traffic light or a single partner of the traffic light to govern,” said Klingbeil on Monday at a press conference with Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil in Berlin. He called on all traffic light coalition partners to unite. “The answer to that isn’t that we hit it off, the answer is that we hook our arms.”
Klingbeil referred to the challenges facing the coalition in the course of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. These would now have to be processed “very concentrated and focused”. The SPD leader called for an end to the open dispute in the coalition over the past few weeks. One must return to the spirit of the coalition negotiations, which were characterized by a common departure. “In the end, that’s what’s best for this country if the government works together properly, and that’s why I expect it.”
Nouripour hopes the “decision backlog” will end
After the Lower Saxony elections, Green Party leader Omid Nouripour is hoping for an end to the “decision backlog” in the previous grand coalition in the federal state. “We had a Groko in Lower Saxony, they didn’t decide,” he said on NDR-Info.
After the good performance of the Greens, in coalition talks with the SPD they would attach particular importance to the topics of traffic change, social affairs and children’s concerns. “People are under pressure and have great concerns in these times,” emphasized Nouripour.
Green for quick negotiations
Lower Saxony’s Greens do not expect tough coalition negotiations with the SPD. “There is an obligation in the constitution to elect a prime minister within seven weeks. But traditionally in Lower Saxony this happens when the new state parliament is constituted, i.e. on November 8th at the latest. In this respect, the negotiations will not last long,” said top candidate Julia Willie Hamburg of the German Press Agency in Hanover. “Today our party committees will meet. I assume that we will talk for the first time this week and then start negotiations quickly.”
Lies sees very good chances for red-green
Lower Saxony’s Deputy SPD leader Olaf Lies (SPD) sees very good chances for the desired red-green government after the state elections. “I am convinced that this will work,” said Lies in Hanover. The SPD and the Greens have a great deal of overlap and common ground, also from their joint government from 2013 to 2017. In view of the urgent energy crisis and the concerns of the people, it would be good if the new coalition were already under one roof before the inaugural session of the new state parliament at the beginning of November and be specialist.
A primary goal is to quickly launch the Lower Saxony rescue package for companies and households promised by Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD). Lies, who was last in the cabinet as Environment and Energy Minister, kept a low profile on his own role in the future government. The post of economics minister, which he previously held, appealed to him more, he stressed. Lies did not say how many ministerial posts the SPD and the Greens should receive in such a coalition.
Lower Saxony’s CDU boss wants a detailed analysis
After his defeat in the state elections, Lower Saxony’s CDU leader, Bernd Althusmann, is demanding an open analysis of his party, including the politics of the CDU in the federal government. “We will analyze the result very carefully. We will not only look at this election, but also at the 2021 federal election and the past 16 years, as well as at one or the other weakness of the election campaign. We have to clarify why the CDU is not adequately succeed in getting through with their own topics,” Althusmann told the German Press Agency in Hanover on Monday. Former Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) had ruled for 16 years.
Althusmann said core issues of the CDU, such as security, hardly played a role in the election campaign. The party must also deal intensively with the changed world of work and energy issues. “The CDU is also not credited with sufficient competence in the field of renewable energies. We have to change that and also discuss it within the party committees.”
In the state elections on Sunday, the CDU had achieved its worst result in Lower Saxony since the 1950s with 28.1 percent. The strongest force was the SPD with 33.4 percent, the Greens improved to 14.5 percent, the AfD reached 10.9 percent. The FDP with 4.7 percent and the left with 2.7 percent missed the state parliament.