In view of tight budgets and high investment requirements, the deputy minister presidents of Saxony and Thuringia are questioning rigid positions in financial policy. "The most absurd thing you can do economically is to save into the crisis and thus exacerbate it," said Thuringia's Finance Minister Katja Wolf (BSW) in a joint podcast interview with Saxony's Social Affairs Minister Petra Köpping (SPD). The interview was conducted by the "Leipziger Volkszeitung" and the "Sächsische Zeitung".
Saxony in a somewhat more difficult starting position
Both states govern without their own majority in parliament. Wolf spoke of a "privileged situation" in Thuringia, where the governing coalition and the opposition in the state parliament each have 44 votes, resulting in a stalemate. This means that no one can vote against the government. At the same time, Wolf admitted that the constellation is "exhausting" and prolongs processes.
In Saxony, on the other hand, a separate majority has to be organized for every decision, said Köpping. This makes governing much more complex. Nevertheless, even under these conditions, a budget had been passed and investments initiated. There is a strong "sense of unity" in the government.
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