In Neumünster, the CDU and the Greens seal the coalition in Schleswig-Holstein. The alliance, headed by Prime Minister Günther, will govern with a solid majority. Günther brings Mayor Madsen, who made a name for himself in the Corona crisis, into the cabinet.
Seven weeks after the elections in Schleswig-Holstein, the CDU and the Greens have sealed their future black-green coalition. Party conferences in Neumünster approved the coalition agreement negotiated between the leaders of the CDU and the Greens over the past few weeks, which is due to be signed this Tuesday. The election of Prime Minister Daniel Günther in the Kiel state parliament is planned for Wednesday.
There were no dissenting votes from the CDU, three of 210 delegates abstained. Günther, who is also CDU country chief, spoke of an “impressive vote”. In his speech to the delegates, he had previously promoted the contract again. The “ambitious climate goals” laid down in it correspond to the “common will” of both coalition parties.
At the party conference of the Greens, four of the 121 delegates voted against the coalition and five abstained. Green negotiator Aminata Touré thanked the delegates for their “broad support”. She had previously advocated agreeing to some compromises that were critical from the Greens’ point of view. The party should not miss the opportunity to play an active role in climate protection. Time is running out in climate policy. Not helping to shape it is therefore “not an alternative”.
The CDU and the Greens have governed Schleswig-Holstein together since 2017, but so far in a three-party coalition with the FDP. After the election, talks about a new edition of the Jamaica alliance, which the CDU was striving for despite the changed majority, failed. The CDU therefore decided to negotiate a two-party coalition with the Greens.
The Christian Democrats won the state elections on May 8 with 43.3 percent and a clear margin. Of the 69 seats in the new state parliament, 34 are held by the CDU. With 18.3 percent, the Greens came in second ahead of the SPD and have 14 MPs. Together, the partners, who place a clear focus on climate protection and the energy transition in their contract, have a two-thirds majority in Parliament.
At the CDU party conference, Günther also announced the outstanding decisions on the ministerial posts to be filled by the CDU. The non-party Mayor of Rostock, Claus Ruhe Madsen, will be the new Minister for Economic Affairs, Transport, Labor and Tourism.
The previous Vice President of the German Farmers’ Association, Werner Schwarz, will become the new Minister for Agriculture, Rural Areas and Consumer Protection in the Kiel cabinet. Minister of Health and Justice will be Kerstin von der Decken, a law professor from Kiel. Most recently, she also worked on the state expert committee on the Corona crisis.
