Despite electoral defeat – Berlin: SPD wants to continue with Greens & Left

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After her historic defeat, the SPD mayor of the German capital Berlin, Franziska Giffey, does not want to give way to opposition election winner Kai Wegner of the CDU. Giffey spoke out on Monday in favor of continuing the red-red-green government, which still has a majority in the city parliament despite losses in Sunday’s election.

“If the SPD can run a strong government, then for us that’s an issue we can’t just brush aside,” Giffey told RBB Inforadio.

The SPD also wants to talk to the CDU about election winner Wegner, but: “Ultimately, it’s about who can organize a stable majority in the House of Representatives and where the substantive overlap is greatest for a path we have taken.”

She received support from SPD chairman Lars Klingbeil: Giffey had tackled a lot so far, he said. “And she’s also the right person to keep doing that.” The Berlin SPD will also investigate with the CDU whether there are agreements.

Giffey spoke out for consequences after her party achieved its worst-ever result of 18.4 percent. “Regardless of the constellation in which we operate, changes are needed in the city and in cooperation in government – there is a lot to work on,” said the mayor of Berlin, who has been in power for a good year.

Also green and left for continuation red-red-green
There were positive signals from the co-governing Greens in the direction of the SPD. Her top candidate Bettina Jarasch said on Deutschlandfunk that she wanted to have ‘serious’ exploratory talks with the election winner, the CDU. The left also spoke out for the continuation of red-green-red as the only stable coalition.

‘SPD and Greens two equally strong parties’
Jarasch emphasized that she also wants to speak quickly with the previous coalition partners. Continuing the red-green-red coalition is still favored by her party. If the SPD leadership is retained so that Giffey can remain head of government, “then so be it,” she said. The SPD and the Greens are now “essentially two equally strong parties”, which should be taken into account, Jarasch added.

Regarding the CDU, she said it was further away from the Greens in Berlin than elsewhere in Germany because there was “a very progressive Greens state association” and “a very, very conservative CDU at its core” in the capital.

CDU campaigns for “modernization coalition”
However, election winner Wegner does not want to give up. The Christian Democrat called for a “modernization coalition” on Bayerischer Rundfunk on Monday, emphasizing that environmental issues and social policy were also important to him. “Berlin is a city of homelessness and child poverty – and I want Berlin to become a city where everyone can find their place,” said Wegner.

“That has not happened in recent years under the SPD in Berlin.” He said he wanted to invite the SPD and the Greens for exploratory talks on Monday evening. The goal is to have conversations this week or early next week, Wegner says.

Source: Krone

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