SPD comes together for the first session after the state election

2022-05-17T11:56:32.166Z

SPD comes together for the first session after the state election Created: 05/17/2022Updated: 05/17/2022 13:47 Thomas Kutschaty, SPD state chairman, waves. © Federico Gambarini/dpa In the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia, the first meetings of the deputies are coming up after the election. Many new faces are moving into parliament, especially among the Greens. Others leave it. This is

SPD comes together for the first session after the state election

Created: 05/17/2022Updated: 05/17/2022 13:47

Thomas Kutschaty, SPD state chairman, waves.

In the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia, the first meetings of the deputies are coming up after the election.

Many new faces are moving into parliament, especially among the Greens.

Others leave it.

This is a first opinion test for the top candidates.

Dusseldorf - Two days after the elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, the deputies of the three strongest parties came together for their first parliamentary group meetings in the Dusseldorf state parliament.

The top candidates received applause from their own ranks.

Meanwhile, preparations are being made for initial talks to form a coalition.

The election winner, the CDU, had already sent out invitations to exploratory meetings to the SPD, FDP and Greens on Monday.

Black-Green would have a clear majority in the state parliament.

But other constellations such as a traffic light would also be mathematically possible.

Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) was received with great applause in the CDU parliamentary group, which grew by 4 to 76 MPs.

Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) explained on the sidelines of the meeting that there were no "job guarantees" for previous ministers.

"There is no job guarantee anywhere in life - not even in politics." He would continue as Minister of the Interior, but would not take on any post at any price.

So he is out of the question as Minister of Education.

Among the Greens, who almost tripled their state election result, top candidate Mona Neubaur was able to celebrate with joy.

The parliamentary group has grown by 25 to 39 MPs.

"I am pleased that we have so many new MPs," said the acting parliamentary group leader Josefine Paul, the German Press Agency.

"We now have a really diverse and diverse group that also brings in very different perspectives." The group is a mixture of young and experienced people with different backgrounds.

It will be an exciting time and it will also bring a breath of fresh air to state politics.

SPD top candidate Thomas Kutschaty, whose party suffered a historic defeat in the North Rhine-Westphalia state elections, also received applause from within its own ranks.

"So, sit down, we have something to work on," said Kuchaty, who is both state chairman and parliamentary group leader, while the SPD deputies applauded.

The Social Democrats in NRW fell to a low of 26.7 percent (2017: 31.2) in the NRW state elections on Sunday.

As a result, the SPD faction shrinks by 13 to 56 MPs.