There has been movement in the negotiations on a way out of the political crisis in Thuringia. Now the Left, SPD and Greens are trying to find a solution with the CDU. Several suggestions are on the table.
Erfurt (dpa) - Left, SPD and Greens and CDU want to find a way out of the political crisis in Thuringia by the end of this week. Top representatives of the four parties agreed on this after hours of negotiations on the night of Wednesday in the state parliament in Erfurt.
"There are different proposals on the table," said the state chairwoman of the left, Susanne Hennig-Wellsow. All four parties sought new elections - but they had different ideas about their dates. The next meeting of the four parties is already planned for this Wednesday - in smaller working groups.
The proposal by former Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left) to elect CDU politician Christine Lieberknecht to head a "technical government" with three ministers, said Hennig-Wellsow. In addition, red-red-green was still considering the possibility of a minority government headed by Ramelow, which would also lead to new elections. The CDU wants a complete interim government with Ramelow's predecessor Lieberknecht, which initially ensures a budget and only then initiates new elections.
"We sensed that red-red-green is moving," said CDU state vice-president Mario Voigt. At the time for new elections, there was no predetermination for his party. "It's about an exceptional situation in which Democrats have to get together." The Greens faction leader said that there should be a state budget for 2021 by the end of this year at the latest, and that new elections should have taken place by then.
Hennig-Wellsow signaled that her party would not insist on a transitional government headed by Lieberknecht for only 70 days until a state election. "For us, new elections are not conceivable until 2021."
Before the four parties met, the CDU parliamentary group had made it clear that a new election should only be the last step after the formation of a transitional government under the aegis of Lieberknecht. According to Ramelow and the CDU, the 61-year-old is basically willing to help solve the "Gordian knot".
A two-thirds majority of the 90 MPs is required for a new election in the state parliament. Left, SPD and Greens together only have 42 seats in parliament. The support of the CDU with its 21 seats is needed.
The SPD chairmen Saskia Esken and Norbert Walter-Borjans criticized the CDU approach in the Thuringian government crisis. Every wait and delay without a state government capable of acting undermines trust in democracy. "According to the most recent experience, voters should again ensure an effective, democratic government majority with quick new elections - as suggested by Thuringia's SPD head of state Wolfgang Tiefensee from the beginning."
Lieberknecht has been said to have a good relationship with Ramelow for many years. From 2009 to 2014 she was head of a CDU / SPD government in Thuringia. Last year she also retired as a CDU member of parliament.
So far, the CDU has been in a dilemma. It is bound by a party convention that rules out a coalition or similar cooperation with both the AfD and the left. It therefore does not want to elect the left Ramelow as Prime Minister. So far, Ramelow has insisted on being elected with an absolute majority in order not to be dependent on AfD votes - with the help of the CDU or the FDP.
Two weeks ago, the election of FDP politician Thomas Kemmerich with votes from the AfD, CDU and FDP as prime minister of the Free State caused the crisis in Thuringia with nationwide effects. After great indignation far beyond Thuringia, Kemmerich resigned. He is now only managing director.