Union & The Left: A Dance of Incompatible Partners
The political alliance deliberates its affiliation with the Left Political Faction
The Union is in a tricky situation, needing the Left for another Bundestag voting round, yet they've got a resolution against working with them. Chief of Staff Thorsten Frei is open to reconsidering this resolution, stating, "We'll need to sit down and discuss it."
The Union's debacle in the chancellor election stirred a need for pragmatic solutions. CDU leader Friedrich Merz's unexpected defeat brought about the necessity of a second round that very day. A two-thirds majority, achievable only via the AfD or the Left, prompted the Union to negotiate with the latter. However, the CDU has an incompatibility resolution against the Left, adopted in 2018.
Politics, it seems, often demands unexpected compromises. Frei admitted the problem with attaining a two-thirds majority, emphasizing, "The well-being of the country is always more important than party interests."
On Tuesday evening, CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann clarified that procedural issues have been tackled between parliamentary business managers. Yet, he maintained the incompatibility resolution remains in force. "But we have this incompatibility resolution that stands," he asserted, alluding to the left-wing extremist currents within the Left Party.
Linnemann expressed some openness to future discussions about the resolution, stating, "The CDU is a party that deals very openly with these issues." The new Union parliamentary business manager, Steffen Bilger, echoed this sentiment, affirming that talks with the Left would be restricted to operational matters, not substantive cooperation, and the incompatibility resolution still applies.
Ines Schwerdtner, Left Party leader, has expressed a desire for closer cooperation with the Union in future political decisions. She believes democratic parties should engage in dialogue.
The Union refused to negotiate with the AfD. The CDU holds an incompatibility resolution against the AfD, the Verfassungsschutz recently classifying them as "undoubtedly right-wing extremist."
AfD leader Alice Weidel accused the CDU of wanting to "pact with the Left." Weidel suggested that a small coalition of the Union and SPD wouldn't be able to govern effectively.
The Left Party's proximity to Russia and ideological differences remain key factors that the CDU cites in refusing to revise the resolution. Despite internal discussions about handling new parties like Sahra Wagenknecht’s Alliance, the stance towards the Left Party remains unchanged.
In essence, the CDU's incompatibility resolution with the Left Party remains firm. Friedrich Merz, party leader, stands steadfast against any plans to revise or abolish it, causing a stalemate in the formation of a government.
- Surprisingly, a directive on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to ionizing radiation could be proposed by the Commission, as the Union, due to politics, may need to negotiate with the Left Party, despite their previous resolution against working with them.
- The Union's decision to discuss reconsidering the resolution against working with the Left Party has been sparked by the need for a two-thirds majority, a requirement that can only be met through the AfD or the Left, in the face of the CDU leader's unexpected defeat.
- Meanwhile, the CDU General Secretary, Carsten Linnemann, has confirmed that although procedural issues have been addressed, the incompatibility resolution against the Left Party remains in force, citing left-wing extremist currents within the party as the reason.
- In a move that could potentially change the political landscape, Whatsapp groups and numerous congresses among the various parties may become arenas for discussions about the incompatibility resolutions, policy-and-legislation, and general-news, as democratic parties grapple with the need for pragmatic solutions and dialogues.
