Monday, October 18, 2021
Who will be finance minister?
FDP politicians promote Lindner – Greens angry
After the SPD and the Greens, the FDP is now deciding whether to enter into coalition negotiations with the other two parties. But a dispute between the possible traffic light partners is developing in advance. Both green politicians and liberals claim the powerful finance ministry.
Three weeks after the federal election, the SPD, Greens and Liberals are preparing for coalition negotiations. As the last of the three parties, the FDP wants to decide whether to start coalition talks for a new German government. Party leader Christian Lindner firmly expects approval – and the formation of the first traffic light coalition at federal level. “Failure is not an option here,” said Lindner on ZDF. “We need a stable government in Germany. It should also be formed quickly.”
If the top bodies of the FDP agree on Monday, the way is free for coalition negotiations. After the SPD board had voted unanimously for formal talks on a traffic light coalition on Friday, a small party congress of the Greens also agreed on Sunday with two no votes and one abstention. Negotiations could start in a few days.
Lindner shows interest in ministerial posts
Lindner expressed the expectation that a ministry would be created in the new federal government that would take the lead in climate protection. “But that is not an existing appointment,” he emphasized on ZDF. He had previously said on ARD: “There is the Federal Chancellery, there is the Ministry of Finance, there is a new Ministry for Climate Change. And I am of the opinion that each of the partners must have an opportunity to have a creative impact.” With this, the FDP leader again signaled his interest in the Ministry of Finance.
Several party friends such as Wolfgang Kubicki and Marco Buschmann had previously openly advertised Lindner as finance minister. The issue of climate protection is the core issue of the Greens; In the case of a traffic light coalition, the SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz, who has previously headed the finance department, will move into the Chancellery. At “Bild TV” Lindner explained that it is not the strength of the factions of the Greens and Liberals that decides who will appoint the next Federal Minister of Finance. “It is also not the case that it simply depends on what percentage points have been achieved,” he said when asked. In a traffic light coalition, the Liberals would make up the smallest parliamentary group.
Habeck: “not helpful”
With the Greens, the speculation about personnel met with annoyance. Party leader Robert Habeck described them as “not helpful”. “It is part of fairness, good manners and political wisdom not to do that now. In case of doubt, you only increase your own height,” he said on ARD. The Greens and the FDP have very different ideas about financial policy. “The confidence that it will then happen as agreed has yet to be proven, also in the coalition talks.”
Baden-Württemberg’s Green Finance Minister Danyal Bayaz had previously advertised Habeck as Federal Finance Minister. He could not imagine anyone better in this position, he wrote on Twitter. The Deputy Greens chairman Ricarda Lang pleaded in the “Bild” newspaper that her party should take over the finance ministry because it plays a central role in decisions about future investments, for example. “I think it would make sense if we as the Greens in this ministry form the future,” she said.
Scholz and Linder go into plans
On Friday the negotiators of the parties ended their explorations and presented a result paper. Thereafter, there should be no tax increases and the debt brake should be adhered to. The statutory minimum wage is to rise to twelve euros per hour. In terms of climate protection, accelerated expansion of renewable energies and an exit from coal are planned, ideally by 2030, among other things.
Scholz and Lindner rejected the accusation that the potential government partners had not clarified the financial viability of their projects. It is about a great departure, the modernization of the country, said Scholz on ZDF. A significant part of this is about enabling private sector investments. But it is also clear that “additional funds with public investments” must be made available. “So it’s about combining things correctly,” emphasized Scholz. Regarding proposals to set up public investment companies, he pointed out that something like this had long since existed. He cited Deutsche Bahn and KfW as examples. “In this respect, this is only a description of a principle that already exists and that must be included in the scope of the options for action.”
Linder specified on ZDF: “We also want to activate private capital by using our public development bank to secure private investments publicly. You don’t need a euro higher debt, not a euro higher taxes, it is just entrepreneurial activity of the state to make things possible. “