The (still) governing mayor of Berlin was self-confident. She openly revealed that in the end it was no longer possible with the Greens and Bettina Jarasch. The TV review.
Franziska Giffey with Markus Lanz on April 13, 2023.Screenshot ZDF Mediathek
Markus Lanz had his fun. On Thursday he had apparently set himself the goal of using every imaginable means to squeeze everything out of Franziska Giffey, the (still) governing mayor of Berlin. That means answering the question of why she wants to govern in the capital with the CDU and not with the Greens and the Left, not with Bettina Jarasch, even though she will lose the top job if she resigns. A contradiction?
Franziska Giffey was undeterred. She smiled, she evaded, she answered diplomatically with the typical “You know…” in order to gain a millisecond to think about it with those filler words before the actual answer. And again and again, like a mantra, she emphasized that she wanted the best for the city, the best solutions for the problematic security situation, the housing shortage, the impending poverty in Berlin. “It’s about something bigger,” said Franziska Giffey. It’s not about her.
The SPD could fill many posts in Berlin
But was that true? Moderator Lanz doubted and did not give up. He wanted to know: Is giving up the mayoral post really so selfless from Giffey? The Governing Mayor had good arguments ready as to why there was no other way. Election campaigns and coalition negotiations are something completely different. And the goals of the SPD can be achieved better with the CDU than with the Greens.
In fact, Markus Lanz rightly pointed out that the SPD had succeeded in negotiating ten posts in the Senate in favor of the Social Democrats on the coalition paper, which the SPD base is now supposed to vote on. Just as many as the CDU. How does it work? Did the Union get involved because Kai Wegner really wants to be mayor?
“Let Mr. Bröcker finish talking”
Franziska Giffey indicated that she has made it clear to her new partners that strong social democratic positions in the coalition paper are more likely to persuade the SPD base to vote for the unpopular grand coalition.
Michael Bröcker, editor-in-chief of “The Pioneer”, expressed his respect for Giffey’s negotiating skills and pointed out that according to all rumors, the mayor would feel physical pain at the thought of continuing to cooperate with Bettina Jarasch from the Greens. This is how the liaison with the CDU came about. The camera was suddenly no longer aimed at Giffey. You could only hear her laughing. Markus Lanz intervened and wanted to know if that was true, this rejection of Jarasch. Giffey said nothing. Then she only replied to Lanz’s persistent questions: “Let Mr. Bröcker finish speaking.”
Giffey took up the question of competition with the Greens directly
The journalist analyzed quite correctly that the coalition paper actually has hardly any Christian Democratic accents. The pithy CDU sayings about uncontrolled migration, the many integration problems in Berlin, the failed state status – this conservative awareness of the problem was hardly included in the coalition paper. “Actually, the CDU base should organize a vote,” said Bröcker. “There would be quite a bit of headwind.” Even the socialization framework law is included in the program. “Cleverly done, politically very clever,” he said, nodding towards Giffey.
The politician now took up the question of competition with the Greens directly. She admitted that the relationship with Jarasch was really strained in the end. “It was a bitter fight. That’s very clear. (…) Jarasch wanted the Greens to become the strongest force. From that moment it was difficult to work together.”
Will Giffey become a building senator in the new government?
The journalist Bröcker pointed out that the SPD wanted to distance itself more from the Greens as a whole because it was the left-wing rival party. The Greens want to oust the Social Democrats. “‘We are the modern left,’ say the Greens. It’s about keeping the Greens small. It’s about the re-election of Olaf Scholz,” said Bröcker. Giffey didn’t argue.
Will Giffey become a building senator in the new government? The governing mayor did not want to commit herself. But she said that in addition to climate change, the housing shortage is one of Berlin’s biggest problems. One could say that the importance she attributes to the housing shortage is also an indication of her future in the new government.
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