In the CDU parliamentary group in the Saxon state parliament, a fight vote in the nomination for the position of President of Parliament or the President of the Parliament is starting: incumbent Matthias Rößler is challenged by SPIEGEL information according to current status of his party friend Andrea Dombois. The CDU deputy was previously vice-president of the state parliament. The process was first reported by the "Freie Presse" from Chemnitz.
Dombois has announced her candidacy to faction leader Christian Hartmann. The corresponding mail is available to SPIEGEL. The nomination under the CDU delegates is scheduled for Friday.
The process is remarkable for two reasons: that an incumbent President of the CDU is challenged by his own faction is unusual in itself. Roessler has been sitting in parliament for ten years. However, the fighting candidates against Rößler could also have consequences for the possible talks of the CDU over a so-called Kenya coalition with the Greens and the SPD.
Roessler thinks little of a Kenya coalition
Rößler, a member of the Meissen legislature, is regarded in the Saxon CDU as a representative of the conservative and Kenya-skeptical wing. He had in the election campaign as one of four candidates of his party invited the controversial former President of the Constitution Protection Hans-Georg Maaßen, Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer had distanced himself from Maaßen. Should Roessler not be nominated by the parliamentary group, the dissatisfaction of his camp threatens to grow with a view to a possible coalition with the Greens and the SPD.
For the CDU deputy Dombois from the constituency of Dippoldiswalde in the Erzgebirge again speaks from the point of view of Rößler critics that they are among all parliamentarians in the state parliament, which ultimately decide on the person of the President or the President, as a majority. In her e-mail to Faction leader Hartmann, Dombois writes: "Over this long period of time, I have always worked in confidence with MEPs and have always endeavored to act with the necessary loyalty as Vice-President." In the Dresden state parliament, the CDU comes to 45 out of 119 MPs, the majority is 60 votes.
CDU and Greens want to decide on Saturday on the inclusion of exploratory talks.