Almost exactly a month after the state elections, Lower Saxony’s new state parliament is electing the prime minister today. The SPD politician Stephan Weil is about to enter his third term. The 63-year-old knows that his dream alliance is behind him – another red-green coalition. Both parties signed the coalition agreement on Monday.
During his first term from 2013 to 2017, Weil governed together with the Greens. At that time, the alliance lost its one-vote majority prematurely because a Green MP had switched to the CDU. A grand coalition of SPD and CDU followed. However, before this year’s state elections, Weil had made it clear early on that he was aiming for a return to red-green.
With 33.4 percent, the SPD clearly came out ahead of the CDU in the October 9 election. With 14.5 percent, the Greens achieved their best result so far in Lower Saxony. The AfD made it into the state parliament as the fourth parliamentary group. The FDP and the left, on the other hand, failed at the five percent hurdle.
SPD with six and the Greens with four ministers
This afternoon, the new cabinet is also to be sworn in in the state parliament. The SPD will provide six ministers, the Greens will receive four departments. A rejuvenation is imminent: the future members of the government are on average four years younger than the previous government on the day of the swearing-in.
The first major project by Red-Green is to be a relief package worth around one billion euros in the energy crisis. In addition, a nationwide 29-euro monthly ticket for local public transport for schoolchildren, trainees and volunteers is to be introduced. In addition, a state-owned housing company is to be founded for more affordable housing, the goals for climate protection and the expansion of renewable energies are to be tightened and the starting salaries for many teachers are to be raised.
In the new state parliament, the SPD has 57 seats, the CDU 47, the Greens 24 and the AfD 18 MPs.
