The CSU and Free Voters want to sign a coalition agreement today. Most exciting question: Who gets which ministries in Bavaria?
Munich – A good two and a half weeks after the Bavarian election, the new coalition could already be in place today. The CSU and Free Voters have invited people to committee meetings this Thursday morning to approve the coalition agreement. Already at the beginning of the week the content agreements for the five-year legislative period were considered concluded. In the final rounds of talks on Wednesday, one final point of contention appears to have been resolved: the division of ministries. However, there has been no confirmation of this yet.
The approval of the respective committees is considered a formality. That is why the coalition agreement between the CSU and Free Voters should, according to information from the news agency dpa be signed in the state parliament on Thursday afternoon. However, there was initially no invitation for this.
CSU and Free Voters in Bavaria face a new coalition
At the CSU, the party executive and state parliamentary group want to discuss and decide together. “Presentation of the results of the coalition negotiations for the formation of a new Bavarian state government,” says the invitation that was sent internally. And further: “Advice and decision-making on the approval of the negotiation results for a coalition agreement”. The state executive board and parliamentary group also want to discuss matters together with the Free Voters.
In addition to the content and allocation of ministries, both rounds will also focus on the basic form of cooperation in the government. As much as the CSU and Free Voters tried to work together constructively in the negotiations, the poor personal relationship between Prime Minister Markus Söder and Free Voters leader Hubert Aiwanger put a strain on the cooperation between the two parties right from the start.
Coalition in Bavaria: Tense relationship between Söder and Aiwanger
The tense relationship culminated in the fact that the party leaders did not appear together during the negotiations. The rounds were led by the heads of the state parliamentary groups, Klaus Holetschek (CSU) and Florian Streibl (Free Voters). Söder and Aiwanger only took part in the substantive negotiations a few times. So far only a preamble has been announced, which should contain a commitment to democracy and a clear demarcation against the AfD.
On Wednesday, Söder, Aiwanger, Holetschek and Streibl spoke again about the layout of the cabinet. Initially nothing was made public about this conversation, which lasted several hours. In general, the allocation of ministries was always considered the most difficult part of the negotiation, as the Free Voters demanded an additional, fourth ministry from the CSU after their record election results in the state elections in Bavaria on October 8th. Söder had categorically rejected Aiwanger’s wish to take over the agriculture department before the election.
Söder is to be elected Prime Minister in Bavaria on October 31st
The further schedule of the CSU and Free Voters stipulates that Söder should be re-elected Prime Minister on October 31st, one day after the inaugural session of the newly elected state parliament. The new cabinet could be sworn in as early as November 8th. The names of the ministers must also be determined by then. According to reports, this will not happen at the CSU until November 7th. The names could be mentioned to the Free Voters as early as this Thursday.
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The CSU and Free Voters had already governed together in the last legislative period. After the election on October 8th, they together have a stable majority of 122 of the 203 seats in the new state parliament. (dpa/cs)
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