Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) – The largest opposition party in the Hessian state parliament, the SPD, reacted to the first government statement by Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) with sharp criticism. Group leader Günter Rudolph said on Tuesday in Wiesbaden that he had said nothing about important issues such as skyrocketing rents, especially in the big cities. The demand is huge, people sometimes have to commute far because they cannot afford to live in the Rhine-Main area. Rudolph, for example, called for an obligation to register vacant apartments, as there are in other federal states.
Rhein also said nothing about a new mission statement for the Hessian police. This should make it clear that there is no place for extremism. It is also about education and training. In addition, there is a shortage of skilled workers in the police force, because Hesse competes with the other federal states. Rudolph also criticized a delay in increasing the number of employees in the judiciary.
North and East Hesse do not exist on the Rhine. In order to strengthen rural areas, investments must be made in infrastructure – in local public transport, roads, schools and broadband connections. There was also a lack of groundbreaking statements in the government statement on education policy.
“You are part of 23 years of CDU politics in Hesse,” remarked Rudolph with a view to the Rhine – and mentioned, among other things, the socio-political dismantling under his predecessor Roland Koch. Rhein also took over a large number of construction sites from his predecessor, Volker Bouffier. “If you think you can carry on as before, that’s your problem.” Too much self-confidence is also rather harmful.
