Former Federal Interior Minister Gerhart Baum has called on the FDP in Thuringia to play a constructive role after moving into the state parliament. "I would like to say that the FDP on the ground is open to a discussion with Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow, especially since it has not reached its election goal to form a coalition with the CDU," the FDP politician told SPIEGEL.
The state of Thuringia, according to Baum, must be able to govern. "Party interests are therefore behind national interests," said the Old Liberal with a view to the FDP.
Baum holds a meeting with Left Prime Minister Ramelow for an option from the FDP: "Ramelow is not the representative of an extremist party," said Baum.
Photo: Wolfgang Borrs / NDR / dpa
FDP politician Gerhart Baum: "Party interests behind national interests"
The 87-year-old tree, in the social liberal coalition FDP Federal Interior Minister, intervenes with utterances in the inner-party discourse of the party - not always to the delight of the younger FDP generation. Thus, the Thuringian FDP leader and top candidate Thomas L. Kemmerich had criticized before the election tree because of his leftist views.
In Thuringia after the election last Sunday beyond the AfD a government majority is only possible if CDU or FDP make common cause with the left of Prime Minister and election winner Bodo Ramelow. Because both refuse, there could be a minority executive government. The previous red-red-green coalition has no more majority, the FDP is extremely close confiscated in the state legislature.
Kemmerich had refused as FDP Bundeschef Christian Lindner on Monday, a toleration or cooperation to support the red-red-green coalition. In the election campaign, the FDP had advertised with the slogan to end this coalition.
Kemmerich responded to Baum's proposal to Baum on Wednesday, but without explicitly mentioning its name: "When the Diet is constituted and the leader of the Left meets me, we liberals will speak about parliamentary initiatives."
HAYOUNG JEON / EPA-EFE / REX
FDP politician Kemmerich, Lindner: "It's not up to me to invite to talks"
"That's why I do not need to be accused of not fulfilling my political responsibilities," he said. Negotiations in the state parliament meant a strengthening of the democracy, because decisions would be shifted no longer in the coalition committee, but in the ranks of the deputies.
For the FDP, he referred to as the most important legislative initiatives in the areas of classroom failure in schools, reducing bureaucracy, improving infrastructure, expanding the broadband network and strengthening the police presence in public spaces.
For a meeting with the Prime Minister of the Left - as Baum considers desirable - Kemmerich said: "By the way, it is not up to me to invite to talks with Mr. Ramelow." A formal cooperation with the left, he refused again. "I'm not going to look like I'm going to talk about toleration or any softer version of working with Red-Red-Green."
Such discussions, so Thuringian FDP boss, "we can save ourselves."
State election Thuringia 2019
Preliminary final result
Second vote result
Shares in percent
CDU
21.8
-11.7
The left
31
+2.8
SPD
8.2
-4.2
AFD
23.4
+12.8
green
5.2
-0.5
FDP
5
+2.5
other
5.4
-1.7
allocation of seats
Total: 90
Majority: 46 seats
29
8th
5
5
21
22
The Left (29)
SPD (8)
Green (5)
FDP (5)
CDU (21)
AfD (22)
Source: Provincial Returning Officer
Results in detail
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