State parliament approves cooperation between government and opposition

Saxony's state parliament has approved a cooperation agreement between the government and opposition by a majority. In addition to the coalition parties CDU and SPD, the Left Party, the Greens and almost all members of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) also voted in favor of the "consultation and information agreement". According to the agreement, the government will inform the opposition about proposed legislation at an early stage and incorporate their proposals. In addition, opposition projects are to be given a majority in this way.

Head of the State Chancellery Andreas Handschuh (non-party) spoke of a new chapter in parliamentary history in Saxony. Minority governments are not a novelty, he said, they require courage. If you look around Europe, they have also been a guarantee of stability and security. The focus is now on solving urgent factual problems.

CDU speaks of commitment to a new political culture

Sören Voigt, Parliamentary Secretary of the CDU, called the agreement a new form of cooperation between government and parliament. The mechanism was not a one-way street: opposition projects would also be taken into account. "We are talking about a revitalized Saxon state road that we want to expand in the coming years." The mechanism is not symbolism, but a commitment to a new political culture.

AfD considers mechanism a "democracy simulation"

The AfD spoke of a "democracy simulation" and does not want to participate in the mechanism. The CDU and SPD had formulated in their coalition agreement that there should be no cooperation or search for parliamentary majorities with the AfD, explained AfD MP Joachim Keiler.

BSW calls for dealing at eye level

The agreement could become a democratic milestone, said Lutz Richter, Parliamentary Director of the BSW. However, he also called on the minority coalition to show more humility and urged them to "come down from their high horse" and establish a level playing field with the opposition. "We need a different spirit in our dealings."