Minister President Kretschmer: SPD is torn apart

Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer (CDU) sees the SPD facing a question of direction following the election defeat in Rhineland-Palatinate. "It's not easy for the SPD. You can feel how torn it is over the question of whether it should look after its actual core electorate, the workers in our country, or whether it should compete with the Left Party and the Greens," Kretschmer told the German Press Agency. "Both will not work at the same time and will ultimately lead to decline."

He sees the result of the state election in Rhineland-Palatinate as a "shot across the bow of democracy". Kretschmer told dpa in Berlin: "We have a lot of people who are turning away, who are afraid, who no longer trust in the ability of our democracy, our consensus democracy, to find solutions." These people can only be won back if they are convinced by results. Talking alone does not help.

Kretschmer: "Jolt of economic liberation" needed

The economic situation in Germany is dramatic. Kretschmer said that he would like to see a "pact for Germany" between employees and employers and between politicians at federal and state level - including across party lines. "We now need this joint action, this joint action, this jolt through our country of economic liberation. Otherwise we will continue to lose confidence." Kretschmer referred to the high gains for the AfD.

Call for policy change for growth

"The things that have been put in place so far are not enough to create the growth that Germany needs," said the CDU politician. "We need a real change in policy, a real withdrawal of state regulation, a return to what the Chancellor has always said: price competitiveness. If energy, if labor, if environmental protection and, and, and, and are so much more expensive than in other countries, then it won't work."

SPD election debacle in Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg

The SPD had suffered an election debacle in Rhineland-Palatinate. Top candidate Alexander Schweitzer clearly lost the state election to CDU candidate Gordon Schnieder. The SPD leaders Bärbel Bas and Lars Klingbeil had already taken responsibility for this on election night.

In the SPD, there were calls for their resignation, especially against Klingbeil. The SPD had also suffered a painful defeat in the state elections in Baden-Württemberg at the beginning of March.