In Brandenburg, the formation of a government is likely to be difficult after the state elections. Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) wants to start exploratory talks on forming a coalition government with the Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) alliance and the CDU. The state executive wanted to discuss this. “My goal is to form a stable government,” said Woidke in Berlin.
But the CDU and BSW are reluctant. Important committee consultations on the parties’ future course are still pending. The AfD announced that it wants to use its blocking minority to put pressure on the future government factions in the state parliament.
Restrained signals at BSW
In the future, Woidke’s SPD would only have a majority without the AfD with the BSW. But its signals remain cautious for now. “We will not make any frivolous decisions,” said BSW top candidate Robert Crumbach. Discussions within the party will take place on Wednesday. He cannot anticipate the outcome.
The election result is not easy, said Crumbach. “It can also work if, for example, there is a minority government with only 44 votes.” It is about pursuing a “clearly, clearly, clearly different policy.”
CDU sees itself in opposition
The Brandenburg CDU also says it is not seeking talks with its current coalition partner, the SPD, and sees itself in the opposition. Lead candidate Jan Redmann said that participation in the government was out of the question for the time being. “We are preparing for all scenarios, including the role of opposition.” CDU General Secretary Gordon Hoffmann said: “We have no mandate to govern. There is no majority for the SPD and CDU.” The CDU does not want to refuse talks, but: “Our mandate from the voters is to be in opposition – and we will fulfill that.”
The SPD achieved 30.9 percent in the state elections on Sunday after Woidke caught up, ahead of the AfD with 29.2 percent. The price for the SPD victory is high: the CDU slipped to 12.1 percent. The Greens, the Left and BVB/Free Voters are no longer represented in the state parliament, not even through a direct mandate. The SPD, which has provided the head of government since 1990, most recently governed with the CDU and the Greens. This coalition is no longer possible. The SPD and CDU only received 44 of 88 votes, while the SPD and BSW together have 46 votes.
AfD sees “new opportunities”
The AfD in the state parliament has grown from 24 to 30 representatives. Lead candidate Hans-Christoph Berndt is expecting “new opportunities” after achieving the so-called blocking minority. He cited the influence on the election of constitutional judges in Brandenburg as an example. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Brandenburg classifies the AfD state association as a suspected right-wing extremist case, and Berndt as a right-wing extremist.
With 30 of 88 seats, the AfD will now have more than a third of the mandates and can therefore prevent decisions that require a two-thirds majority. This is the second time the party has won a blocking minority in a state parliament following its success in the Thuringia election three weeks ago.
Greens speak of “horror state parliament”
“Was it worth it?” asked the disappointed Green Party leader Benjamin Raschke after Woidke’s strategy of linking his continued stay in office to an SPD victory caught on. “The price was far too high.”
Raschke spoke of a “horror state parliament” without a progressive force that stands for social justice, environmental and climate protection. The Greens have been criticizing for some time that the SPD has even adopted AfD positions, for example with regard to the rejection of refugees at the German border.
Different ideas about content
SPD General Secretary David Kolesnyk announced that his party would focus on the economy, stability and security in exploratory talks with the CDU and BSW. However, so far the political content has not been consistent on many points, especially with regard to the BSW.
The BSW is showing confidence. “In percentage terms, of course, we are the biggest winners in the election,” said BSW Secretary General Stefan Roth. “We will fight decisively for a new policy, for a peace policy, for a corrected migration policy, for a policy of disarmament, for an end to the catastrophic economic and energy policy.”
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240923-930-241088/1
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