The Hessian state parliament president Boris Rhein (CDU) will meet with the Greens parliamentary group this Tuesday.

After the CDU proposed him as the successor to Prime Minister Volker Bouffier on Friday, the small coalition partner would now like to meet him "to get to know him and his program even better and to exchange views on further work," as stated in the invitation from parliamentary group leader Wagner .

Ewald Hetrodt

Correspondent for the Rhein-Main-Zeitung in Wiesbaden.

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The coalition agreement states that the CDU is the prime minister.

"But of course prime ministers are elected by the members of the state parliament and not appointed by parties." Wagner is "confident that we will continue to work successfully with Boris Rhein".

The contents of the coalition agreement would also apply to the entire legislative period.

But in the state elections next year, the cards would be reshuffled, said Wagner.

"Scandalous, failed, colorless"

His Social Democratic colleague Günter Rudolph emphasizes that Rhein was controversial as interior minister and was not Bouffier's preferred candidate.

The prime minister slipped away from the debate about his successor.

Time and his party friends passed him by.

The exciting question is whether the black-green government coalition will succeed in the vote in the state parliament at the end of May in holding its majority of just one vote in the state parliament and electing the Union politician as head of government.

Elisabeth Kula, leader of the left-wing faction, criticizes the fact that Rhein was "covered in scandal as interior minister, failed as Frankfurt mayoral candidate, and colorless as science minister".

The fact that he should now become head of government is "all the more regrettable since we have come to appreciate the President of the State Parliament, Boris Rhein".

Whether he can fill the role of prime minister better than his ministerial posts remains open.

Bouffier has finally created the clarity that has been awaited for a long time "and that he could have created a long time ago," says FDP parliamentary group leader René Rock.

He had "done a lot for Hesse".

However, in recent years it has become increasingly clear “that the office is becoming a burden”.

"A friend of the FDP"

Rhein is "a reasonable person who cuts a good figure as the President of the Landtag and is also a friend of the FDP," said Rock.

"If he becomes prime minister, that doesn't change the fact that the Free Democrats will continue their constructive and critical opposition work in the Hessian state parliament."

With Rhein's nomination, the CDU wants to keep the ranks of the government factions closed in the upcoming election of the prime minister.

With its slim majority, the coalition is by no means as stable as the actors themselves would like to portray it.

"Another candidate would presumably have less of a chance of being elected than Rhein," believes Rock.

"Boris Rein is doing a good job as President of the State Parliament," said AfD faction leader Robert Lambrou.

"He distinguished himself by his non-partisan neutrality and is an interesting choice." He behaved objectively towards all six factions.

"We wish him the best of luck for the office of Prime Minister."