Mega turn in Thuringia: Ramelow suddenly suggests Lieberknecht (CDU) as Prime Minister

On Monday evening, Red-Red-Green and the CDU came together to find a solution to the Thuringian crisis. Bodo Ramelow made a spectacular proposal.

• After the election debacle in Thuringia, the Left, SPD and Greens want to consult with the CDU.
• The goal is to find a way out of the current government crisis.
• The task could become an ordeal for the Thuringian CDU.
• You can read all previous developments on the government crisis in Thuringia in our old news ticker.

February 18 update; 6:08 a.m.

: Is it the solution to the government crisis in Thuringia? The left has surprisingly proposed the previous one temporarily

CDU Prime Minister Christine Lieberknecht

(61) to serve as head of government.

Lieberknecht should therefore form a "technical government" with three ministers for about 70 days - until a new state parliament is elected. Former Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow said on Monday evening that he himself would not run for prime minister for the time being, but the left's top candidate remains in new elections.

According to Ramelow's plan, Lieberknecht should solve the most important tasks in Thuringia with "a minister of justice, a finance minister and a head of the state chancellery". Linke, CDU, SPD and Greens want to talk about the advance again this Tuesday.

Mega turn in Thuringia: Ramelow suddenly suggests Lieberknecht (CDU) as Prime Minister

February 17 update; 9:01 p.m .: Hammer in Thuringia! Bodo Ramelow brings the former Thuringian Prime Minister Christine Lieberknecht (CDU) into play as Prime Minister. Zeit reports online on information from participants. The MDR had previously reported on this.

The election of FDP politician Thomas Kemmerich with AfD votes as prime minister just two weeks ago had caused a political earthquake. Kemmerich is now only managing director.

According to observers, Lieberknecht could be a kind of transitional head of government up to new elections. The 61-year-old head of government in Thuringia from 2009 to 2014, led a coalition between the CDU and SPD. After the state elections in 2014, the SPD opted for an alliance with the Left and the Greens. This led to a change of power, even though the CDU remained the strongest parliamentary group at the time.

Government crisis in Thuringia: SPD, Greens, Left and CDU advise each other

Update from 19:52: The top politicians from the Left, SPD, Greens and CDU met for a conversation to find a way out of the government crisis in Thuringia.

Although his arrival was not initially planned, former Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow is also present at the meeting in Erfurt on Monday evening.

Update from 5:05 p.m .: Ex-Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left) is not present at the first meeting of Red-Red-Green with the CDU after the election debacle in Thuringia. It is about the first contact of representatives of the four parties and parliamentary groups, the party and parliamentary group leader of the left, Susanne Hennig-Wellsow, justified the decision on Monday in Erfurt. Should there be further meetings with the CDU, Ramelow could participate, she said.

Government crisis in Thuringia: new elections as the only way out?

Announcement of origin from February 17, 2020: Erfurt - German democracy was in turmoil in the Thuringian Prime Minister election on February 5, 2020. The parties agree on this. What has a major impact on the political system has disastrous consequences in Thuringia . It is not yet clear how things will go in Thuringia. In constitutional law, the FDP politician Thomas Kemmerich , elected with AfD votes and already resigning, is still the incumbent Prime Minister. The population has demonstrated massively against the election and behavior of the CDU and FDP politicians. On Monday evening, the SPD, Linke and Greens want to work together with the CDU in Thuringia on a solution.

The options are sparse. The parties could agree on new elections . This would also correspond to the demands of federal politics and the wishes of many Thuringian citizens. But the state politicians are afraid of a hasty decision. New elections are expensive and would slow the state down politically for months. The Red-Red-Green government had also passed a parity law for Thuringia. Accordingly, as many female candidates as male must be represented on the party lists. The AfD is currently suing the law. Accordingly, there is no legally binding specification for the party lists. If, after the court decision, an application was made to have the state elections annulled, there could be no government for months, said left-wing politician Bodo Ramelow. "And then we can get into the dangerous corner that we have no budget basis by the end of the year and that the municipal financial situation is in extreme imbalance."

Thuringia scandal: New elections are difficult, and so is the government

In the joint discussion, Red-Red-Green and the CDU want to strive for a government or at least a transitional government. However, it is unclear who will actually become head of government . The FDP is apparently not represented in the conversation. The voices of the free Democrats could also tip the scales. But the party has been badly damaged by the electoral scandal and is unlikely to move into the state parliament after new elections.

But an agreement between the CDU and Red-Red-Green is likely to be difficult . In the meantime, 70 percent of the Thuringian population has declared Bodo Ramelow to be a good prime minister. At the same time, the state CDU has currently lost half of its voters. Nonetheless, the CDU and CSU at the federal level still refuse to support a left-wing candidate. In particular the person Bodo Ramelow , who at the same time enjoys support from the Thuringian population. This stance could endanger the state party due to a lack of alternatives. However, there are also voices within the CDU demanding that the CDU in Thuringia should no longer stand in the way of the Prime Minister election of Ramelow.

#Exclusive: The former @ CDU general secretary @polenz_r demands that the @cdu_thueringen no longer stand in the way of a # r2g minority government led by @bodoramelow https://t.co/UzpSTzEE9V via @Tagesspiegel

The AfD has so far not been able to benefit from the scandal. But it didn't harm her either.

Thuringia: Left, SPD, Greens and CDU want to discuss the government crisis on Monday evening

The council of elders meets in Thuringia before the crisis meeting. The state parliament president Birgit Keller and the vice presidents of the state parliament are on the twelve-member committee with other members of all parliamentary groups. It should be discussed on the "further parliamentary approach". The meeting is not open to the public.

Video: The Thuringian CDU chief Mike Mohring resigns