Hesse’s SPD is firmly rooted in local politics. The party wants to use this for itself in the upcoming state election campaign, says state parliamentary group leader Rudolph. The goal is governance in the country.
Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) – The parliamentary group leader of the state parliament SPD, Günter Rudolph, wants to rely on the strength of the social democrats in the Hessian local politics in the upcoming state election campaign. “We can fall back on a broad foundation at the municipal level,” he said in a dpa interview in Wiesbaden. “We provide many mayors, we provide many district administrators and we provide many mayors in the municipalities.”
In the municipalities, the SPD is much more strongly represented than the CDU and much more than the Greens. “And that shows that we are rooted and anchored in the country,” Rudolph said. In Hesse, a new state parliament is expected to be elected in autumn 2023.
In the case of possible coalitions after the election, the SPD parliamentary group leader ruled out nothing – except an alliance with the AfD. “I’m assuming that no party will win an absolute majority. This will result in possible coalitions and then we’ll see,” he said. The SPD wants to take over the government in Hesse. “That’s our approach. Everything else is decided after the election.”
Regarding the question of a possible traffic light coalition of the SPD, Greens and FDP, Rudolph said that this was “no longer unusual in many federal states”. However, the content must also match. “And the people involved are also important in politics, you have to trust each other.”
According to Rudolph, one of the greatest political challenges in 2023 is the fight against right-wing extremism. This was also shown by the recent raid against the so-called Reich citizens. The danger of right-wing extremism in Hesse has been “criminally underestimated” in recent years, especially under Interior Minister Peter Beuth, said the parliamentary group leader.
According to his estimates, the election campaign for the state elections in Hesse will pick up speed after the summer break in 2023. “And then you will have to focus on state politics and sharpen them.” Rudolph pointed out that many important things are decided in the country, such as education, transport and security. You have to make it clear to the citizens what influence a state government has on people’s lives.
Rudolph named the shortage of skilled workers as another important topic. “We need more career orientation in schools,” he said. “For example, we have too many university dropouts and the trade says: We can’t find any more people.” The SPD has been working for years to ensure that, for example, obtaining a master’s certificate is financially supported. “If you study law or medicine today, you get paid by the state. If you want to become a master craftsman, you pay a few thousand euros. That’s also socially unfair.”