Schleswig-Holstein is expected to get a new governing coalition after all. In an exploratory talk on Thursday in Kiel, the leaders of the CDU, Greens and FDP could not agree on negotiations on a continuation of the incumbent Jamaica alliance. He very much regrets this, said Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) after several hours of consultation in a Kiel hotel. He wanted a different result. The CDU state executive will now discuss the situation on Monday and make an offer for exploratory talks to one of the two previous coalition partners.
With 43.4 percent, the CDU missed the absolute majority in the state parliament of Kiel by just one seat in the state elections on May 8th. She would therefore only have a secure majority in parliament with the Greens or the FDP – nevertheless Günther had campaigned for a continuation of the tripartite alliance that has governed the north together since 2017.
Günther, as CDU state chairman, had invited the Greens and FDP to the meeting on Thursday. On Tuesday, a team of four from the CDU led by Günther spoke separately with the leaders of both parties – for five hours with the Greens and two hours with the FDP. The leaders of the Greens and FDP had already announced their clear preferences for a two-party coalition with the CDU, but had also declared themselves ready for talks beyond that.