Status: 10/17/2021 12:05 p.m.
Shortly before the decision of the Greens and the FDP on coalition negotiations, the politicians interpret the results of the explorations once again in their favor. At the same time, the first personnel debate is already taking place.
The explorations are over, now the next step for a traffic light coalition of the SPD, Greens and FDP is pending. In the afternoon the Greens want to deal with the start of coalition negotiations at a small party congress. According to the press office, 99 delegates are entitled to vote at the state council. How many delegates will actually take part in the vote will be announced in the course of the day.
The Green politician Jürgen Trittin defended the waiver of some positions in the exploratory paper in the “Bild am Sonntag”: “The path for the FDP into the traffic light coalition is wider than for us,” he said. “The delegates know that there are no tax cuts for higher earners, but a minimum wage for 10 million people and a basic child security. That is where the Greens prevailed. On the other hand, there is no greater burden on top earners. That is where the FDP prevailed. That is what it is – a decent compromise, “said Trittin.
Lindner: Minimum wage increase “one-time exception”
FDP leader Christian Lindner, whose party wants to decide tomorrow whether to start coalition negotiations, told the newspaper, on the other hand: “The exploratory paper contains many of the FDP’s concerns.” Seldom has there been a greater opportunity to modernize society, the economy and the state. “We don’t want to let this chance slip by.” Lindner defended the planned increase in the minimum wage to twelve euros, which is a core concern of the SPD, as a “one-time exception”.
The paper presented on Friday contained FDP concerns “from solid finances to investments in clean technologies and digitization, better education and new opportunities for advancement to social liberality,” said Lindner. He also emphasized that the discussions were “professional, discreet and fair”.
SPD discusses membership decision
The SPD had already voted unanimously on Friday to start coalition negotiations and is now discussing the question of the extent to which the base should be involved in the decision on a coalition agreement. The co-chairman Norbert Walter-Borjans spoke out against a membership decision. “There has to be an appropriate participation of the members, for example online. The time and costs of a classic member survey would hardly be justifiable in view of the overwhelming approval in the SPD,” he told the “Bild am Sonntag”.
Immediately after the federal election, Walter-Borjans had named a member survey as an option. The demand for this was made primarily by representatives of the SPD left, such as party vice Kevin Kühnert.
Who will get the Treasury?
The first discrepancies could soon arise in personnel issues. At the weekend, leading FDP politicians spoke out in favor of their party leader Lindner as federal finance minister in a traffic light coalition. For example, the deputy chairman Wolfgang Kubicki made it clear that he considered Lindner to be the ideal candidate.
Baden-Württemberg’s Green Finance Minister Danyal Bayaz, on the other hand, campaigned for Green Party leader Robert Habeck as Federal Finance Minister. Bayaz wrote on Twitter that he couldn’t think of anyone better to hold this position. The division of responsibilities will only be discussed at the end of the coalition negotiations.