DThe Greens in Berlin have expressed their astonishment at the reports of an upcoming meeting of the SPD state executive committee this Wednesday, at which Franziska Giffey intends to propose coalition negotiations with the CDU, according to consistent media reports. The green top candidate, Bettina Jarasch, said on Tuesday evening: “We were surprised by this step by the SPD leadership. It also does not correspond to the course and results of our previous talks with our current coalition partners.”
The third and final exploratory talks between the CDU and the Greens ended late Tuesday evening. After the eight-and-a-half-hour meeting, neither CDU country chief Kai Wegner nor Jarasch gave any indication as to who they would like to start coalition negotiations with.
Wegner said the talks were very solution-oriented. The two exploratory teams found many things in common, for example in the areas of education, health, science, but also financial policy. Jarasch said that the Greens’ exploratory team had once again experienced the CDU as a reliable and trustworthy interlocutor. “We discussed very intensively, have gone through all our issues, have found many solutions for the benefit of the city.” This also applies to the “big chunks”.
The Berlin Greens had already announced that they wanted to decide at a small party conference on Tuesday whether and with whom to start coalition negotiations. Whether it stays that way or whether the CDU and SPD will agree long before that is still open. So far, a red-green-red coalition has ruled in Berlin, which, in addition to a black-red and a black-green alliance, would also have a majority in the new House of Representatives.
Wegner is aiming for a two-party coalition with the SPD or the Greens and has not yet decided on a preferred partner. According to him, the CDU state executive is to be convened on Thursday to discuss the topic of coalition negotiations.
In the event of a coalition between the SPD and the CDU, SPD state chairwoman Giffey would have to give up her position as governing mayor. The new head of government would probably be Wegner. It is conceivable that Giffey could become a senator. The Greens and Left, with whom the SPD has governed since 2016, would then find themselves on the opposition bench.
The Left state executive wants to recommend the state party conference to start coalition negotiations with the SPD and the Greens. The decision to do so was made on Tuesday with only one dissenting vote, the party announced on Tuesday evening. The final decision will be made by the state party conference, which is scheduled for Friday. “Should the SPD actually go into a coalition with the backward-looking CDU, the city is threatened with a social and societal rollback,” said state chairwoman Katina Schubert.
According to the final result of the February 12 repeat election announced on Monday, the CDU is clearly ahead with 28.2 percent. SPD and Greens each got 18.4 percent. The Social Democrats have a tiny lead of just 53 votes.