Berlin’s Mayor Kai Wegner, a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has expressed skepticism towards a potential black-yellow coalition after the next federal election. “One must remain realistic” Wegner said at a Tagesspiegel event, citing recent polls. “And that’s not really realistic for black-yellow, if I look at the polls.”
Wegner’s skepticism stems in part from the behavior of Free Democratic Party (FDP) leader Christian Lindner, whom he had previously worked with in 2017’s exploratory talks for a Jamaica coalition. “Back then, he said he’d rather not govern than govern poorly” Wegner recalled. “Later, he joined the grand coalition, but ultimately withdrew. ‘The Lindner principle is to flee responsibility when it gets tough,’ Wegner said, criticizing the politician’s stance.
The Berlin mayor’s remarks were in response to a call by former CDU leader Armin Laschet and FDP deputy chairman Johannes Vogel, who had advocated for a black-yellow coalition in a Frankfurt Allgemeine Zeitung op-ed.
Wegner also criticized all parties for the high costs of their election promises, explicitly including the CDU. “Many proposals are not financially feasible” he said, pointing to the federal budget. “Neither the in-government nor the opposition parties are doing a good job in this regard.”
Wegner emphasized the importance of this issue, particularly with the next federal election in 2029 in mind. “If the next federal government fails to regain the trust of voters in the next four years, we’ll have a real problem in 2029” he warned. The next government should focus on improving the economic situation, as “too many unfeasible promises could be held against us by voters in a few years.” “We still have one shot as democratic parties to use it wisely” Wegner concluded.