BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – Before the traditional Epiphany meeting of the FDP in Stuttgart, former Interior Minister Gerhart Baum (FDP) demanded that his party commit to the traffic light coalition with the SPD and the Greens. “The country needs a government capable of acting. There are no other majorities in sight and no new elections either,” Baum told the Web.de portal. When asked whether the traffic lights still had a future, the 91-year-old replied: “Yes, why not? In any case, there is no alternative.” A coalition is an alliance of convenience and the traffic lights should be seen as such. “The voters wanted it that way, no other majority was achieved. And now it’s important to make the best of it until the end of the legislative period.”
The close outcome of the members’ decision on whether to remain in the Liberal government alliance made it clear that the FDP and its leadership had to build trust – “trust among the insecure people, i.e. among the voters and their own members,” Baum continued. The FDP is needed as a liberal force. However, it is too often perceived as a “naysayer party”. He advises against “making unfulfillable promises and remaining in outdated positions.” This also includes saying no to tax increases. “This gives people the impression that everything stays as it is and nobody has to make a sacrifice. But that is not the case and cannot be,” said Baum.
The former Federal Interior Minister is concerned about the state elections in the East this year – and the rise of the AfD. “Democracy is really at risk. Those who elect enemies of the constitution and those who despise the system must recognize this,” warned the Dresden native. He called the AfD the “parliamentary arm of right-wing extremism.” In order to prevent the AfD from participating in government in the East, Baum does not rule out cooperation between bourgeois parties such as the FDP and the Left. “It depends on the circumstances. I wouldn’t make it taboo, but I wouldn’t favor it either,” he said. In September the state parliaments will be elected in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg./shy/DP/zb