By Stephen Peter
Was it because of the cheesecake and the chocolate muffins that the SPD, Greens and Left did not want to part so quickly? In the SPD headquarters on Müllerstrasse (Wedding), sweets were brought up on Thursday afternoon during the exploratory talks.
The end was planned for 4 p.m., but they only parted an hour and a half later – the delegations stepped outside the door individually to make their statements.
The left made the start, but remained extremely monosyllabic. “We had intensive discussions on the topics of housing, climate, the question of good governance,” said Linke country chief Katina Schubert (61).
“The talks continued to be marked by a great deal of thoughtfulness,” said Bettina Jarasch (54, Greens). Franziska Giffey (44, SPD), who is still in power, sees it similarly: “It’s about addressing problems openly.”
All three parties agreed that a regulation for reshuffling the district offices must come quickly. “It has been agreed that this will be discussed in the House of Representatives’ Council of Elders next week,” Giffey said.
On Monday at 10 a.m. the red-green-red soundings continue in Müllerstrasse. At the same time, state returning officer Stephan Böckler (60) wants to announce the final results of the repeat election.
If the Greens then suddenly slip ahead of the SPD, the Social Democrats will probably swing in the direction of the CDU. The party has repeatedly said that they do not want to govern under Jarasch.