ruth901
“I don’t feel like losing”Markus Söder sounds the alarm! Is the government failing again now?
Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder finds clear words for the coalition.
IMAGO/Panama Pictures / IMAGO/Dwi Anoraganingrum
After a year, the federal government's work is being heavily criticized. The majority of Germans are dissatisfied. Markus Söder therefore has clear advice for the coalition and urges “discipline and self-control”.
Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder has called on the black-red coalition to work together and warned of failure. “The coalition has been given a four-year mandate. I very much hope that it will fulfill it. Anything else would be a fatal signal. A democratically elected government must not fail for the second time in a row,” he said in an interview with “Welt am Sonntag” when asked how long the coalition would last. In 2024, the traffic light coalition broke up after an internal dispute.
“We have to do our job. So: talk less and deliver more results,” demanded the CSU boss. The world has changed at a pace that is overwhelming for many. “We have to survive in this environment. The government has the substance to do so, and there is also fundamental trust among the party leaders,” said Söder.
The CSU leader appealed to the ability of the SPD, CDU and CSU parties supporting the government to compromise and called for “discipline and self-control”. “We win together as a coalition and we lose together. And to be honest: I don't feel like losing.” It is important between the Union and the SPD “not to get into a spiral of mutual sensitivities”.
There is an enormous need for reform, said Söder, referring to pensions and taxes. The health reform agreed by the cabinet is a first step. He sees opportunities for savings in the social budget and citizens' money. There needs to be incentives to get back to work and earn a living. “There’s still potential there.” Söder confirmed his willingness to accept possible increases in the so-called rich tax for very high incomes from 300,000 euros. The coalition had announced that it would implement a major tax reform on January 1, 2027.
Regarding speculation about a possible minority government of the Union with changing majorities, Söder said that this would destabilize democracy, slow down rather than speed up decisions and raise false expectations, for example of cooperation with the AfD. “For me, this is out of the question. The AfD does not want to support the Union, but rather overthrow and replace it. We must not marginalize ourselves. The 1930s are a reminder: Weimar did not fail because of the strength of the radicals, but because of the weakness of the Democrats. This must not be allowed to happen again.”
Sources used: jaz/dpa
