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Plenary session of the state parliament in Saxony-Anhalt
Photo: Ronny Hartmann / dpa
The dispute over the planned increase in the radio license fee is growing into a coalition crisis in Saxony-Anhalt's government.
The state parliament is due to vote on the fee increase in mid-December.
Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU) currently does not have a majority in favor because parts of his own party want to vote against the increase.
Specifically, it's about 86 cents: The radio license fee is to increase from 17.50 to 18.36 euros per month on January 1st.
However, the CDU does not want to ratify the State Broadcasting Treaty in the state parliament, as is necessary in all 16 state parliaments.
Together with the AfD, the CDU could prevent ratification - the AfD has already offered that.
But Haseloff's coalition partners, the SPD and the Greens, have threatened to break the already shaky Kenya coalition if that happens.
Haseloff has already announced internally that, if necessary, a vote of confidence will be required.
"Renegotiations" on the Interstate Broadcasting Treaty required
In order to prevent a bankruptcy in parliament and the possible end of his coalition, Haseloff tries not to allow a vote in the state parliament in the first place.
A corresponding application resolution from the state chancellery for the meeting of the media committee of the Magdeburg state parliament on Wednesday is available to SPIEGEL.
It states that "after the statements of the parliamentary groups in parliament and in public, no majority can be expected in favor of the bill".
Haseloff is planning to open the State Broadcasting Treaty again.
The application states that the state government should lobby the state broadcasting commission for "renegotiations" on increasing the broadcasting fee.
The reasons given are, for example, the effects of the corona pandemic.
"Objective indicators prove the fundamentally changed framework conditions and thus the erosion of the business basis of the State Treaty," it says.
If the committee passed the motion, there would be no vote in parliament.
According to SPIEGEL information, the CDU representatives of the media committee will meet on Monday evening to discuss the proposal.
CDU General Secretary Sven Schulze and Country Manager Holger Stahlknecht will also be there.
It is currently unclear how the CDU parliamentary group will react to this.
She had publicly announced several times that she would vote against the fee increase in parliament.
The coalition partners, who are not yet fully aware of the proposal, have so far kept a low profile.
The Greens say this is not a good option because the result would be the same: Saxony-Anhalt would not agree to the increase.
On the other hand, there would be willingness, for example, if part of the CDU parliamentary group voted against the motion, but a majority with the opposition left would still be enough for approval in parliament.
The left also initially rejected the increase, but now want to agree.
"CDU in Saxony-Anhalt damages itself"
For months there has been a dispute in the Kenya coalition about the 86 cents increase in the radio license fee.
The coalition has been on the brink of disputes several times.
The majority, however, do not allow an alternative to the governing coalition without the AfD.
Haseloff had expressed himself critically about the contribution increase, but also repeatedly vehemently ruled out a coalition or cooperation between the CDU and AfD.
However, there are other voices in the CDU Saxony-Anhalt who are now trying to assert themselves.
An end to the Kenya coalition could lead to new elections in the near future.
In Thuringia, for example, the voting ratio in the election of the FDP short-term minister-president Thomas Kemmerich with votes from the AfD and CDU led to a low poll among the Thuringian Christian Democrats.
"The CDU in Saxony-Anhalt is damaging itself and does not notice it," says the Eastern CDU.
Only a face-saving way out could resolve the confused situation.
On Tuesday at 11:30 a.m., the coalition partners want to discuss a possible solution in the coalition committee.
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