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Left-wing politicians Ramelow (left) and Schirdewan
Photo: Jacob Schršter / Jacob Schröter / IMAGO
Left leader Martin Schirdewan does not rule out a coalition between his party and the Sahra Wagenknecht alliance or the CDU in Thuringia. “All democratic forces must at least be able to talk to each other, especially when it comes to preventing the rise of the new fascism and sending a clear democratic signal,” Schirdewan told the Rheinische Post.
The former left-wing politician Sahra Wagenknecht and her colleagues founded the BSW party in January. As a result, the Left faction in the Bundestag collapsed; it is now only represented there as a group. The BSW wants to run in the European elections in June as well as in the state elections in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg.
The political situation in Thuringia has been considered extremely complex for years. In the federal state with a population of 2.1 million, Germany's only left-wing Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow leads a minority government made up of the Left, the SPD and the Greens - without a permanent tolerating partner, which is a novelty in Germany.
Ramelow will run again in the state elections on September 1st. According to his own statements, he would give up the office of Prime Minister in order to form a stable government. "I have shown that in crisis situations I am prepared to jump far beyond my shadow or that of my party, precisely because it is not about me, but about democratic majorities in our country," Ramelow told the news portal T-Online. He was responding to the question of whether he would want to enter into a coalition of the CDU, BSW and the Left even if he would no longer become Prime Minister.
In the past few days, Ramelow had promoted the previously unpracticed three-party coalition as an option. His current coalition partners reacted angrily.
"Of course I stand for red-red-green, also because together we have achieved a lot of good things for Thuringia," he told T-Online. »But I don't want to continue as a minority government like this. And the current surveys show what could be possible: mathematically, we would have majorities of 51 or 52 percent in favor of forming a government between the CDU, the Left and the BSW.
According to recent surveys, the AfD recently lost support in Thuringia, but was still in first place with values between 29 and 31 percent, followed by the CDU with 20 to 21 percent. Ramelow's left was between 16 and 18 percent, the Sahra Wagenknecht alliance was at 13 to 15 percent. According to the surveys, the FDP would be kicked out of the state parliament, the Greens are at five percent and the SPD at values between six and nine percent.
Former Federal President Joachim Gauck also spoke out in favor of broad coalitions to prevent a government with AfD participation. He recommended that the CDU give up its decision on the incompatibility of coalitions with the Left.
dab/dpa