Brandenburg’s Minister-President, Dietmar Woidke of the SPD, has urged his own party to adopt a more pronounced focus on the interests of workers. According to the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (Saturday edition), he stated that the SPD needs to become “more visible in its commitment to the interests of working people”. While acknowledging that much work has been accomplished in recent years, particularly in the social sector, he noted that these efforts were evidently not sufficient to establish a solid, lasting foundation.
Woidke expressed concern that the public is losing faith in the ability of political parties to solve problems. He reminisced about a time when democratic parties debated which one possessed the best concepts for the nation’s future. He stressed that the current situation demands a collective display of problem-solving ability to create prospects for the state of Brandenburg, and indeed for Germany as a whole. Therefore, he clarified that he does not intend to assign blame to the federal government for every issue facing the state. Instead, he emphasized that collaboration with the federal government is necessary to improve the situation.
Against this backdrop, Woidke criticized the BSW party in Brandenburg, stating that it was no longer willing to cooperate constructively within the joint coalition alongside the SPD. The Minister-President argued that any party that must strike compromises to act responsibly cannot afford populist behavior.
This criticism comes after the coalition fractured in January. Currently, Woidke leads a coalition composed of the SPD and the CDU. Despite the current arrangements, he still finds it regrettable that this division became necessary, suggesting that the previous partnership with the BSW “was an experiment, but it could also have worked”.