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Thuringian CDU member Heym: In addition to him, three other parliamentary group members have expressed concerns about the self-dissolution
Photo: Bodo Schackow / DPA
The dissolution of the Thuringian state parliament planned for July 19 is on the brink.
According to a joint statement that was confirmed to SPIEGEL, four members of the CDU parliamentary group do not want to vote for the self-dissolution of parliament.
This would miss the two-thirds majority required to dissolve parliament.
This is a prerequisite for the state elections planned for September 26th.
First the daily newspaper "Free Word" reported on the decision of the four MPs.
In the letter from the CDU parliamentary group members Christina Tasch, Michael Heym, Maik Kowalleck and Jörg Kellner, the members of the "Red-Red-Green representatives" complain about a lack of "respect for the Thuringian constitution".
Members of the CDU are "neither receiving orders nor a spare wheel" for the minority government.
After the severe government crisis in 2020, the opposition CDU parliamentary group agreed with the red-red-green minority coalition of Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (left) on an early state election - in the hope of clear majorities in parliament.
The state parliament would not normally be re-elected until 2024.
Since the adoption of the state budget for 2021, the four MPs have "raised their concerns about self-dissolution and clearly communicated that we will not go this way," the statement said.
The new election opponents in the CDU parliamentary group are not striving to extend the stability mechanism with the red-red-green minority government until 2024.
In future, according to the plan, there should simply be "free forces" in the state parliament.
If the decision remains, one vote is missing
The red-red-green minority coalition in Thuringia has asked the CDU parliamentary group to stand by its word when the state parliament is dissolved in July.
They expected clarity about "whether the CDU will continue to adhere to the agreement reached," said the parliamentary group leaders of the Left, SPD and Greens.
Left, SPD and Greens have 42 votes in the Landtag in Erfurt, the CDU over 21. For the dissolution of parliament, at least 60 of the total of 90 members would have to vote.
If the attitude of the four CDU MPs remained, one vote would be missing.
According to previous information, the FDP and AfD do not want to actively dissolve the state parliament.
At the beginning of May, CDU parliamentary group leader Mario Voigt had shown himself to be left out because of potential deviants. "The CDU parliamentary group is true to its word," said Voigt. Of course there is still a need for discussion among individuals. “But the things that we as a group have promised so far have always been kept. That will also be the case this time, ”said Voigt on the new election date in September.
Should the four MPs not be convinced, there would be another way out - but that harbors some dangers.
Prime Minister Ramelow could ask the vote of confidence and lose.
But then there would be the possibility of putting up a candidate for the office of prime minister within two weeks, who would be elected with one vote without an opposing candidate.
As with the election of the FDP candidate Thomas Kemmerich as Prime Minister of Thuringia, the AfD would then have another opportunity to outsmart parliament.
tfb / til / dpa