The CDU in Lower Saxony is urging Minister-President Olaf Lies (SPD) to reject the possibility of a coalition with Die Linke ahead of next year’s state election. Marco Mohrmann, the general secretary for the CDU in Lower Saxony, told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” (Tuesday edition) that they expect a clear and unambiguous “no” from Olaf Lies regarding a “Red-Red-Green” coalition in Lower Saxony.
This demand comes after the Minister-President had previously warned in Berlin against a potential coalition between his Social Democrats and Die Linke. The CDU politician added that those who consider Die Linke a problematic coalition partner in Berlin should not suddenly declare it governable in their own state.
Mohrmann further argued that Die Linke does not behave as a typical party in Lower Saxony. He stated that the state chapter of the party has passed a resolution that delegitimizes the right to existence of Israel and promotes anti-Semitic narratives. “At the same time, there are left-wing extremist currents within the party that are being monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution,” Mohrmann disclosed.
The CDU general secretary then stressed that the Minister-President must speak plainly. “The people of Lower Saxony have the right to know where Olaf Lies stands,” he asserted. “As long as he refuses a clear ‘no,’ a massive question mark hangs over his political reliability. Olaf Lies must shut that door.”
