Household in Saxony adopts a left-leaning political stance.
F Święcicki's Faction Vows Full Support for the Budget
There's no question about it – the votes of 83.3% of the Saxon Left faction are a done deal. "Take my word for it," said their chairwoman Susanne Schaper at the outset of the two-day budget debate in the Dresden parliament. Five out of the six left-wing MPs will vote for the negotiated budget for the years 2025/26 on Thursday. "We've got it in the bag," Schaper added. The CDU-SPD coalition falls short of ten votes for their own majority in the Free State's parliament. Since the Greens are also on board, with seven MPs, a failure is nearly impossible to imagine. "Many had their doubts," said Sören Herbst, the CDU faction's parliamentary business manager, "but we've managed to tie up the loose ends this week."
Local administrators and civil society leaders might breathe a collective sigh of relief. They've been grappling with the provisional budget management, the Free State's predicament ever since the beginning of the year, due to the lengthy government formation following the state election in September. The delayed adoption of a budget meant only statutory mandatory expenditures were financed, and funding was only provided in significantly reduced amounts. Countless projects faced an existential crisis. If an agreement on a budget hadn't been reached before the summer recess, starting on Friday, it would have been the end of the line for them.
This has been a major selling point for The Left to back the budget. "Nothing compares to a time without a budget," said Schaper, driving home the point that thousands of jobs were at stake. Additionally, The Left has been successful in making substantial improvements to the cabinet draft during tough negotiations. Finance expert Rico Gebhardt of the faction recently announced additional funds for childcare, integration, student services, and cultural spaces at a party conference. The combined value of the amendment proposals The Left and Greens are submitting is estimated at 250 million euros. However, they are quick to add that this doesn't make it a left-wing budget. "One that we ourselves would have proposed would look different," said Schaper, adding, "We've got the cow off the ice, but we still have to make sure it gets fed."
Nam Duy Nguyen, the directly elected MP from Leipzig, has conditioned his approval on a "left-wing signature," demanding that there should be projects that "meaningly improve the quality of life for people." Failure to do so risks "giving the right the upper hand." For the most part, the party conference, however, disagreed with Nguyen's stance. Even when the party's state executive met again on Wednesday to review the results of the negotiations, the approval was unanimous. "The Left," said Schaper, "has the responsibility to step up to the plate."
- / Cautionary Labels on Political Posters
- / Gaston KirscheFive more years with Peter Tschentscher*
- / David Rojas KienzleBerlin turns red: Left becomes the strongest force*
- / nd-FeuilletonCampaignCautionary Labels on Political Posters*
- / Gaston KirscheFive more years with Peter Tschentscher*
- / David Rojas KienzleBerlin turns red: Left becomes the strongest force*
Talks about a government coalitionNo votes are expected from the AfD either. "We'll reject the budget in its current form," said parliamentary deputy Sebastian Wippel. The AfD has "more than once" proposed supporting a "solid, conservative fiscal policy." This involves, for instance, cuts in integration and support for democratic civil society. Now, the CDU is shelling out money that the country doesn't technically have, "mostly for the benefit of the red-green majority."
Insights:- The coalition between CDU, SPD, and Greens in the Free State has secured a budget for 2025/26, featuring significant public sector increases and investments in key areas like infrastructure, defense, and economy.- While The Left has supported the budget, it has secured improvements and additional funds for critical areas such as childcare, integration, and cultural spaces. Their unanimous approval underscores their sense of duty to take responsibility for the region.- AfD, however, has vowed to reject the current budget, advocating for conservative fiscal policies and cuts to integration and support of civil society.
The development in Saxony's politics indicates a significant shift in policy-and-legislation, as The Left faction has pledged full support for the budget, securing substantial improvements for critical areas like childcare, integration, and cultural spaces. On the other hand, the right-wing opposition, represented by the AfD, has vowed to reject the current budget, advocating for a conservative fiscal policy and cuts to integration and civil society support. This general news highlights the ongoing debates and negotiations within the legislative branch of the region's government.
