The Free Democrats do not want the election success in Saxony-Anhalt to be explained solely by their critical profiling against the federal government's corona policy. They cite their positions in education policy, digitization and economic policy as reasons. The party chairman Christian Lindner said on Monday in Berlin that the FDP had led the recent state election campaign “self-confidently” on political issues, but “modestly”. The FDP state chairman Lydia Hüskens gave an example of this modesty on Monday by greatly reducing the possibility of the FDP's participation in government in Saxony-Anhalt in her forecasts. Hüskens said that the CDU will probably speak to the SPD first,because both parties together would bring together an absolute majority, albeit a narrow one. Only if this intention fails, there is the prospect of an alliance between the CDU, FDP and the Greens. Hüskens said the Free Democrats were not ready to widen a narrow CDU / SPD majority through their participation in a coalition; they see themselves "not as a spare wheel".

Johannes Leithäuser

Political correspondent in Berlin.

  • Follow I follow

    The FDP was not chosen in Saxony-Anhalt primarily because of its criticism of some measures restricting freedom, such as the “Federal Emergency Brake”, said Hüskens.

    Prime Minister Rainer Haseloff from the CDU has often opposed individual corona measures and insisted on easing.

    "With new substance"

    With reference to the federal election in September, Lindner said that the Free Democrats were not concerned that the pandemic issue could then be omitted as a mobilization factor for them. The attitude of the FDP in the crisis merely clarified the character of the party and gave it "depth and credibility" for the presentation of its political demands and positions. This gives the FDP the opportunity “to present our political offer with new substance”.

    Lindner supported Hüsken's statement that the FDP would not join a coalition in which it was not needed to form a majority. He said the FDP was ready to take on responsibility if it could push through its own program points; but this is more likely not the case in such a “comfort coalition”. The FDP chairman suggested that he did not consider a black and yellow majority after the federal election to be a result beyond all hopes. He said that both CDU and FDP had gained votes in Saxony-Anhalt. It was not the case that one party broadened its electoral base at the expense of the other. Incidentally, it was the same in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2017,where the successes of the CDU under their then top candidate Armin Laschet and the FDP under their then top candidate Lindner subsequently made a coalition of CDU and FDP possible.