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Hendrik Wüst (CDU), Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, comments on current political issues at a press conference in the state parliament.
© Oliver Berg/dpa
The CDU and the Greens as government partners - this is already working in several federal states.
There is disagreement in the Union as to whether this can also be a model for the federal government.
Düsseldorf - North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU), in contrast to Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), has clearly committed to the option of a government alliance with the Greens in the federal government.
“Black-green has a lot of potential,” Wüst told journalists in Düsseldorf on Thursday.
Coalitions between the CDU and the Greens have long since ceased to be “an avant-garde project,” said Wüst, referring to several federal states.
The CDU politician has led the first black-green alliance in the most populous federal state since 2022.
“This can also be an option for the federal government,” said Wüst.
“Anyone who is still having debates today about whether this is fundamentally possible and whether it is within the realm of conceivability is, in my firm opinion, having debates from the 1990s, especially in these times.”
Wüst once again appealed to build bridges across political camps in view of the rise in right-wing extremism and the polarization of society.
Politicians must also remain able to communicate across the borders of government and opposition.
“That applies here in Düsseldorf.
However, this also applies in Berlin, which requires effort,” said Wüst.
At the Political Ash Wednesday in Passau, CSU boss Söder clearly rejected participation by the Greens in government after the next federal election.
Söder had said that the Greens were not capable of governing - neither in Bavaria nor in the federal government.
Wüst said that Söder had expressed an opinion “that is probably based on the fact that he cannot even imagine how good it is to work with a reliable partner.”
CDU leader Merz also reiterated his openness to a coalition with the Greens at the CDU Thuringia's political Ash Wednesday.
“We will do a damn thing to close off all options and thereby take away any room for maneuver,” said Merz in Apolda.
dpa