Greens Berlin State Parliamentary Group Co-chairman Werner Graf and SPD Berlin State Parliamentary Group Co-chairman Steffen Graf made a joint statement. Following the state council elections held on September 20 in Berlin, the capital of Germany, it was reported that the Greens and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) stopped their negotiations with the Left Party to form a government.
In the statement, it was noted that different decisions were taken in the Left Party Parliamentary Group and said, "This means that we have to suspend the preliminary talks at this point in order to evaluate whether the consensus we agreed on last week is still valid." It was said.
AGREEMENT CONDITION TO THE LEFT PARTY
According to the news of ZDF Heute, it was stated that the Left Party is expected to clearly state how seriously it takes the agreement and plans to implement it. It is thought that the decision may be related to the admission of politician Vanessa Emde, known for her support for Palestine, to the Left Party parliamentary group.
Before starting preliminary talks on forming a government last week, the Left Party, the Greens and the SPD signed a memorandum on how to act regarding anti-Semitism incidents that may occur within the ranks of the Left Party in the event of a coalition formation.
FIRST RESPONSE FROM THE LEFT PARTY
Tobias Schulze, co-chairman of the Left Party Berlin State Parliamentary Group, stated that his party's commitment to the fight against antisemitism, the protection of Jewish life and Israel's right to exist was clearly expressed in the Parliamentary Group, and that all 44 deputies who attended the meeting signed the declaration on this issue.
In his statement to public broadcaster RBB, Schulze stated that he was surprised by the decision of the Greens and SPD to suspend preliminary talks and said, "From our perspective, the agreement reached last week is valid." he said.
MERZ'S EFFORT TO BLOCK ELİF ERALP
At the event he attended yesterday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called on the Greens and SPD not to form a coalition with the Left Party and to end negotiations to form a government, saying, "The Left Party in Berlin is especially an extremely radical left, and what deeply concerns us all is the widespread anti-Semitism in this party." He used the expression.
Merz said that he did not want such a party to come to the state government in the capital and noted that the Greens and SPD could form a stable government with the CDU.
HARD REACTION FROM ELİF ERALP TO MERZ
Elif Eralp, co-chair of the Berlin State Parliament Group of the Left Party in Germany, said that Merz's interference in the talks to form a government in Berlin was unacceptable.
The Left Party, where Eralp was the candidate for state prime minister, became the first party with 25.7 percent of the votes in the state assembly elections held in Berlin on September 20.
Eralp aims to become the state prime minister in Berlin by forming a triple coalition with the SPD and the Greens after the elections.
LEFT PARTY SIGNED THE ANTISEMITISM DECLARATION
Newly elected Left Party MPs in Berlin signed a declaration expressing their commitment to the fight against anti-Semitism, the protection of Jewish life and Israel's right to exist. Left Party Co-Chairman Tobias Schulze announced that all 44 members present at the opening meetings signed the declaration. The declaration also considers sanctions such as expulsion from the parliamentary group in case of violations.
Newly elected Left Party MPs in Berlin had previously signed a declaration openly expressing their commitment to the fight against anti-Semitism, the protection of Jewish life and Israel's right to exist. As co-chairman Tobias Schulze announced, all 44 members present at the opening meetings (including Emde) signed the declaration.
The declaration, in which the deputies pledged to abide by party decisions on these issues in their political work, includes the following statements:
"We defend Israel's right to exist and the equal rights of all people in Israel. Likewise, we defend Palestine's right to exist and the equal rights of all people in Palestine."
