According to Green party leader Omid Nouripour, Söder would do well “to form a coalition with a party that actually wants to govern well”. In the interview he talks about the Bayern election and the traffic light.
Munich – It’s really not easy for the Greens at the moment, but party leader Omid Nouripour is still in a good mood this morning. When visiting the editors, the 48-year-old talks about his own mistakes, romantic moments at the traffic lights, the Bavarian election – and a possible green interior minister for the Free State.
Mr Nouripour, Markus Söder thinks the Greens spread the worst mood of all parties. Are they the actual bad mood party?
This is funny. If I remember correctly, it was Markus Söder who said there would be blackouts and the winter rage would eat us all up. None of that happened, we got everything under control. I can only recommend everyone not to badmouth our country.
For the CSU, the Greens are the main opponents in the state elections, a coalition excludes Söder …
Isn’t that Markus Söder, who, as Minister for the Environment, wanted to get out of nuclear power and the combustion engine and is now demanding the opposite everywhere? I don’t know anyone else who has such a small turning circle as a bobby car. Let’s wait until he changes his mind again.
So you want to govern with the CSU?
Above all, we want Bavaria to remain an attractive location for companies, and for good jobs to continue to be created here in the future. The CSU has failed to set the course and is putting a lot at risk. If majorities beyond the CSU are possible: gladly. If not, then I think it would also do Markus Söder good to coalition with a party that actually wants to govern well and doesn’t just swing speeches. Who knows, when he gets a little out of campaign mode, when not only the slogan but the feasibility counts, one can certainly talk.
How should finding a compromise with the CSU go when it is already so difficult in the Berlin traffic light?
Compromise is at the heart of democracy. To put it bluntly: I am not dissatisfied with what we are able to achieve in the federal government. I’m dissatisfied with the way we talk about it on the open stage. In other coalitions, such as the traffic light in Rhineland-Palatinate or with black-green in Hesse, it is much quieter.
Do you actually know who pushed through the heating law at the traffic light?
It doesn’t matter. Rather, let me say three sentences about the law. If you have a heater that works: please keep it running. If you have a heater that breaks: please see if it can be repaired. If that is no longer possible and the money is not enough, there are support programs and credit options. We don’t leave anyone behind.
If the Greens had communicated that from the start, they would have saved themselves a lot of trouble.
We’ll do better in the future.
The traffic light could hardly stand another drama like that. How stable is she?
Stable. It may come as a surprise when I say this, but there have been many moments over the past year and a half where genuine trust has grown between all of us. The idea for the 9-euro ticket came up at 4 a.m., something like that brings people together.
You didn’t notice much of such romantic moments outside.
(laughs) Do you tell the public all your romantic moments?
Nouripour speaks about internal security
You talk a lot about homeland security these days. What can the Greens learn from the CSU on this topic?
We are well positioned there. But maybe one thing: take bold action when it comes to the Ministry of the Interior. We’ve never had anyone at the head of an interior ministry. I hope we can change that in the fall.
You mean in Hesse…
No. Our Bavarian top candidate Katharina Schulze is a proven expert in this field. Not only could she be prime minister…
But also Minister of the Interior? With the suggestion you are giving Markus Söder sleepless nights…
Is he really that sensitive? Seriously: I’m worried that in Bavaria everything will be left as it is when it comes to internal security. It’s just not all good.
We tend to believe that the Greens want to leave everything as it is. You sometimes find it difficult to even name a problem like clan crime.
It’s a matter of definition. When families are firmly anchored in criminal structures, you can call it clan crime. Then we talk about certain connections in Berlin-Neukölln, but also about the Italian mafia, the ‘Ndrangheta, which incidentally has far too much freedom in Bavaria. Bavaria is also certainly not the best when it comes to enforcing arrest warrants: in the case of politically motivated crime, a significant proportion of arrest warrants are not executed. The issue of police overtime is a big issue. The stationary border controls are also a problem.
Bavaria is proud of the controls …
When officials look at each car individually, it ties up forces and the smugglers bypass the controls. Mobile checks in the hinterland are much more effective when it comes to illegal entry. And it is not helpful for the people and companies in the region if endless traffic jams form at the border.
The CSU proposes exempting groceries from the tax. The citizens would certainly be grateful…
We are open to any discussion on the subject of discharge. But I would be grateful to hear suggestions on how to finance that as well. We now have to pay a quarter of a billion euros in fines for Mr. Söder’s party colleague Andi Scheuer’s toll violations. Of course, the money is missing elsewhere. Nevertheless, the traffic light has already brought a lot on the way, for example the child benefit has increased significantly.
Interview: Marcus Mäckler, Georg Anastasiadis, and Mike Schier
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