Wednesday, September 29, 2021
Coalition talk with Markus Lanz
“When you dig, you should be nice”
By Marko Schlichting
When Markus Lanz debates the upcoming coalition negotiations with his guests, the first exploratory talks have already started: The party leaders of the Greens and FDP are just getting closer. Who do you make chancellor? Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann has a preference.
Maybe everything will go faster than expected. The party leaders of the FDP and the Greens surprisingly met for the first time on Tuesday to sound out where they have in common in possible coalition negotiations and which compromises would be acceptable. The first exploratory talks between the two parties and the SPD could take place this week. He has already telephoned both parties, says SPD General Secretary Lars Klingbeil in the evening with Markus Lanz on ZDF. In the talk show, representatives of the SPD, FDP and CDU considered how things could go on in the next few weeks.
The defense policy spokeswoman for the FDP parliamentary group, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, emphasizes: The next chancellor cannot ignore the FDP and the Greens. “We no longer wanted the grand coalition out of the opposition,” she says. And by “we” she means FDP and Greens.
“I don’t like stopping”
Strack-Zimmermann prefers a Jamaica coalition with the Union and the Greens. Jamaica is a beautiful island that people love to travel to, she says. “But do you know a traffic light that people like to travel to? There is always a red light at a traffic light, and I don’t like stopping.”
The FDP has a lot in common with the CDU, says Strack-Zimmermann. But as a democrat you have to talk to everyone, and now it’s your turn to talk to the Greens. “It’s not easy, trust has to be created.” It could be easier with the Greens than with the SPD. Strack-Zimmermann thinks that some SPD politicians with the FDP and especially with party leader Christian Lindner verbally appealed too strongly. “If you’re digging with someone, you should be a little nice too.”
“Need a new form of governance”
SPD General Secretary Klingbeil can only agree. The election campaign is now over, he warns, also with a view to his own party colleagues. He also provides something like a guideline: “When we get into discussions, all participants must be interested in success.” Both politicians agree that the next talks should take place behind closed doors. Klingbeil: “The question now has to be: Do we have a common understanding of the big things that have to happen in this country now. We will negotiate very hard in our talks on the matter. But the public exchange of blows must now be over . “
“Think about what we need to change”
The CDU and its candidate for chancellor are facing difficult times. The North Rhine-Westphalian Interior Minister Herbert Reul also knows this. Union Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet suffered a defeat on Tuesday afternoon in connection with the election of the Union parliamentary group leader. His demand to elect Ralph Brinkhaus initially for four weeks as acting parliamentary group leader did not find a majority. Brinkhaus was elected for six months. Another problem facing the Union has not been resolved, it has simply been postponed. Reul is certain that the Union has more serious problems. “75 percent of the population did not vote for us, and we have to ask ourselves: why not,” he says.
Reul has a few answers ready. The party work in recent years has been bad, he says. The party was divided, no longer so lively, not committed, not open to discussion. “And then there were some of us who thought they could continue the argument during the election campaign. We can now see the result,” said Reul literally. Who he means directly is left to the audience’s imagination. Now there has to be an error analysis, demands Reul. You have to think about what needs to be changed in the future – if necessary during coalition negotiations.
In fact, there is a lot at stake for Laschet now. He cannot become parliamentary group leader for the time being, and he no longer wants to be Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia. In the end there are only two options left: Chancellor or nothing. But for coalition negotiations, the talks between the two Chancellor leaders with the SPD must fail. It is questionable whether Laschet can wait that long. Because the first Union politicians have now demanded Laschet’s resignation from the office of CDU chairman.