Reactions in the federal government to the state election: rumblings in the traffic lights

SPD and Greens have won, the FDP has lost: The state elections in Lower Saxony pose difficulties for the traffic light coalition in the federal government, because the Liberals blame them. The CDU is disappointed – the AfD is celebrating.

While the SPD and the Greens see their good performance in the state elections in Lower Saxony as a tailwind for the traffic light coalition in the federal government, the FDP is at odds with the joint government in Berlin. The SPD chairman Lars Klingbeil invoked the cooperation of the three parties in the evening. These are turbulent times, he said in the ARD.

“I don’t think there has ever been a government that has had to deal with so many crises.” You manage it well, and that is the common spirit. “More togetherness, little against each other, that’s how we’re doing well in traffic lights now.” Expectations are high and must be met.

FDP frustration

FDP General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai also said: “We should work together more constructively.” Dealing with each other doesn’t go on like this. From Monday, the situation in the coalition will be discussed in the committees of his party, after which “very concrete” discussions will also have to take place within the traffic lights, said Djir-Sarai in the Berlin round the ARD. “The role and voice of the FDP in this coalition must be even more clearly recognizable in the future than it has been up to now.”

There are “a whole series of examples” of difficulties. He complained that the SPD and Greens distinguished themselves at the expense of the FDP. He mentioned in particular the financial situation and the debate about the debt brake. “A coalition will not work if two partners are constantly coming up with ideas on how to spend even more money and even more money and others have to constantly deal with the question of how to organize and finance the whole thing.”

Djir-Sarai also called for a decision to be taken to extend the lifetime of the nuclear power plants. Should there be problems with the energy supply in winter, this would otherwise be associated with the face of Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck from the Greens.

Green self-confidence

The political director of the Greens, Emily Büning, interpreted the Lower Saxony result with a view to nuclear power in the Berlin round different. The “nuclear power campaigns” of the FDP and the CDU were not successful. “They were clearly not elected.”

When asked whether the glitches about the gas levy and the fall in popularity of the Minister responsible for Habeck had cost the Greens votes, she said: “Of course it was difficult weeks.” She is glad that the traffic light has found a clear signal in the direction of relief for the citizens. It was “a rocky road”. “It is extremely important that we implement this in the next few weeks.”

The chairman of the Greens, Omid Nouripour, appealed to the traffic light partners to show unity to the outside world. “We have a relationship of trust within the coalition, I admit, sometimes it’s louder on stage than backstage, it shouldn’t be like that and vice versa, everyone should take a look at their own noses,” he said Phoenix. “The bottom line is that the cooperation is good – despite all the differences that we have.”

CDU: “Not a nice result”

Disillusionment prevails after the state elections in the CDU – hopes of converting the reduced reputation of the traffic light in the federal government into an election victory in the state were not fulfilled. “It’s not a nice result, we don’t have to talk about it, we wanted a different election goal,” said General Secretary Mario Czaja in the ARD. SPD top candidate Weil has succeeded in detaching himself from the national trend. “He didn’t repeat North Rhine-Westphalia’s mistake of going to a poster with the Chancellor.” That’s why the official bonus took effect.

The deputy federal chairwoman of the CDU, Silvia Breher, admitted in the ARD comments by party leader Friedrich Merz on “social tourism” by Ukrainian refugees “certainly didn’t help.”

Cheering at the AfD

Great is the jubilation at the AfD. They appeared united and set the right topics, said party leader Tino Chrupalla in the ARD. “We are back.” The fact that voters chose the AfD out of dissatisfaction is part of the opposition’s job.

Left leader Janine Wissler has expressed disappointment at the poor performance of her party. She was combative. There will be at least three state elections next year, and preparations will be made for them. “We need a strong left-wing opposition in parliament, not only at federal level but also in the federal states, and that’s what we’re fighting for.”