Home Breaking CDU and Greens in Kiel agree to coalition agreement

CDU and Greens in Kiel agree to coalition agreement

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The first black-green coalition in Schleswig-Holstein is sealed. State party conferences of the CDU and Greens approved the coalition agreement negotiated by their leaders on Monday evening in Neumünster. This clears the way for Daniel Günther (CDU) to be re-elected Prime Minister. Finance Minister Monika Heinold from the Greens remains his deputy. The CDU accepted the coalition agreement unanimously with three abstentions. In the case of the Greens, 112 delegates voted in favor of the contract. Four delegates voted no, five abstained.

Günther’s re-election in the state parliament is scheduled for Wednesday. Then the new cabinet should be presented as a whole and sworn in in the state parliament.

In Neumünster, Günther not only campaigned for approval of the coalition agreement, but also announced final personnel decisions. Werner Schwarz (CDU/62), previously President of the State Farmers’ Association, is to become Minister for Agriculture, Rural Areas, Europe and Consumer Protection. Prof. Kerstin von der Decken (CDU/53) takes over the Ministry of Justice and Health. Günther also confirmed that the previous Mayor of Rostock, Claus Ruhe Madsen (non-party), should take over the economic department. The latter had already been leaked but not officially confirmed.

Education Minister Karin Prien and Interior Minister Sabine Sütterlin-Waack will remain in office for the CDU. The Greens had already officially announced their nominations. Monika Heinold should therefore remain Minister of Finance. Co-lead candidate Aminata Touré becomes Minister of Social Affairs. In the environment department, Tobias Goldschmidt is promoted from state secretary to minister.

The responsibilities for agriculture and the environment are separated again after a long time. This triggered massive criticism, which was also voiced again at the state party conference of the Greens. After their clear victory in the state elections on May 8th, the CDU had, under pressure from the conservative farming community, asserted and enforced a claim to the agricultural department.

Heinold and the co-lead candidate, the future Social Affairs Minister Aminata Touré, asked for approval at the Green party conference in Neumünster. “We have a coalition agreement ahead of us that is not only green, but above all good for Schleswig-Holstein,” said Heinold. “Let’s vote for this coalition agreement so that we can say in five years that this coalition has made climate protection a top priority.” Touré said she didn’t want to talk nice about the environment and agriculture ministries being separated again or that a commitment on the A20 in the coalition agreement. But the central question is what is the opposite. And those are five years in which the Greens are allowed to help shape it.