At the end of what is probably his last government press conference Pure Haseloff (CDU) cheerful. “God willing,” he says at the end with a smile. This refers to his private life, but it still fits in well with how he is Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt previously announced his departure from office justified.
In addition to Haseloff, his deputy prime ministers, Armin Willingmann (SPD) and Lydia Hüskens (FDP), and his preferred successor, Sven Schulze (CDU), are sitting in front of the microphones on Tuesday afternoon. All four emphasize the good cooperation with each other. “A wonderful contrast to the government in Berlin,” enthuses Willingmann. They want to continue this under Sven Schulze, even after the election.
However, it is not at all certain whether this will work. In the last survey, all three parties together got 35 percent. Less than the 37.1 percent that the CDU won alone in the 2021 state elections. Less than the 40 percent, which the AfD received in the same survey. And less than the majority needed for a government. But that won’t play a role at the government conference on Tuesday.
To explain his upcoming resignation, Haseloff goes back a little. Last August he announced that he would not run again and that Sven Schulze should become the CDU’s top candidate. Haseloff said at the time that he himself wanted to rule until the end. For Schulze, this meant that he had to start the election campaign without the incumbent bonus.
Demonstrative unity
In the press agency on Tuesday, a dpa journalist asked: Why didn’t Haseloff directly hand over the position to Schulze? “I can tell you clearly,” answers Haseloff, “we live in a democracy that has mechanisms, knows appointments and knows decision-making procedures about parties, party committees and so on.”
Back in August he only made one suggestion. Only then did the party decide in November to make Schulze the top candidate. Only with the coalition partners from the FDP and the SPD can the CDU currently decide who will be Prime Minister in Saxony-Anhalt. Discussions about this only took place afterwards. That’s why the decision took a while.
But the surveys played no role, assures Haseloff. It was also not due to pressure from the federal CDU that he would now resign. “Anyone who has known me long enough knows that I never allow myself to be put under pressure,” says the outgoing Prime Minister confidently. He just wanted to make sure that the coalition with the SPD and the FDP continued.
Hüskens and Willingmann are running as the top candidates for their parties in the state elections. Aren’t you worried that you’ll lose votes if Sven Schulze wins some through the bonus in office? It is not the time “for party tactics,” explains SPD top candidate Willingmann. And FDP leader Hüskens added that they wanted to show that the coalition is working well.
The opposition is not enthusiastic
According to Haseloff, the election of Sven Schulze will be on the agenda on January 28th. He is currently Minister of Economic Affairs. His position should not be filled. Instead, the previous finance minister, Michael Richter, will also head the economic sector. The opposition criticizes this: Economics Minister, this is not a part-time job, as the Greens say.
Lydia Hüskens explains to the taz that Sven Schulze will also handle certain tasks of the Ministry of Economics as Prime Minister. The crisis in the chemical industry cannot be solved in Saxony-Anhalt alone anyway, said Hüskens. A lot of “convincing work” has to be done in Brussels and Berlin.
At the end of the press conference, Haseloff emphasized again that the coalition would continue to work together without him. He himself will remain as a member of parliament until the state elections.