Off to the election campaign: What do the German parties want?
Published: Tuesday, Dec 17th 2024, 17:40
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The economy, housing, arms supplies: In the run-up to the expected Bundestag elections on February 23, the parties in Germany are starting the big courting of voters with proposals and promises.
The CDU/CSU, SPD and Greens presented their election manifestos in Berlin, and the ideas of the FDP, AfD, Left Party and Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance are also largely known - with very different emphases.
For the SPD, Chancellor Olaf Scholz is focusing on good wages and social security. CDU/CSU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz is campaigning with a proposal for drastic tax cuts. The FDP with top candidate Christian Lindner is focusing on the economy. The Greens, led by Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck, are concerned with shaping climate protection in a socially responsible way.
Unlike all other parties in the Bundestag, the AfD led by chancellor candidate Alice Weidel wants to leave the EU, the euro and the Paris Climate Agreement. The Left Party with its leading duo Jan van Aken and Heidi Reichinnek sees lower rents and the cost of living as top issues. BSW chancellor candidate Sahra Wagenknecht is calling for an end to arms aid for Ukraine. There are overlaps, but in some cases the positions are far apart.
Taxes and debt brake
All political forces are promising relief. The SPD wants this for 95% of all taxpayers - but without giving any details. The CDU and CSU want to gradually reduce the income tax rate. The top tax rate of 42% should only apply to higher incomes. The Greens want a higher basic tax-free allowance, up to which no income tax is payable. The FDP is proposing a specific figure of at least 1,000 euros.
The SPD is holding out the prospect of lower VAT for food, while the Left Party even wants to reduce this tax to zero for basic foodstuffs. To finance this, the SPD and the Greens want to make people with high assets pay more. The Left and BSW also want this.
Opinions are divided on the debt brake: the CDU/CSU and FDP want to stick to it - the SPD wants to introduce exceptions for investments, the Greens want to make such exceptions possible, as does the BSW. The Left Party wants to overturn the brake.
Social issues and minimum wage
Minimum wage of 15 euros: That's what the SPD, Greens, BSW and the Left want. The CDU and CSU are putting forward ideas for "the hard-working", such as tax-free overtime bonuses. The CDU/CSU also wants more incentives to work when it comes to social benefits. It wants to abolish the "citizen's income" under this name and replace it with a "new basic income" with a focus on job placement. According to the CDU/CSU, anyone who is not prepared to work should have their basic income support withdrawn.
The Left Party is going in the opposite direction: it wants to turn the citizen's income into a "sanction-free minimum income" of EUR 1,400 per month for single people, including rent and housing costs.
Economy and business cycle
"Performance must be worthwhile again" is the CDU/CSU's motto. More flexible rules, simplifications and less bureaucracy should make Germany more agile. As a "protective shield for our economy", the CDU/CSU has announced instruments to combat subsidies that distort global competition. The FDP is calling for "far-reaching and structural reforms" for a "genuine economic turnaround". This includes lowering corporate taxes to below 25 percent.
The SPD is in favor of a so-called Germany Fund, from which electricity and heating grids, charging stations and apartments are to be funded. The Greens also support the concept of a credit-financed Germany Fund - for the rail network, daycare centers and innovation incentives, for example. According to its program, the Left Party wants to invest 20 billion euros a year in non-profit housing.
The BSW sees low energy prices as the driver of the economy. According to Wagenknecht's ideas, the CO2 price should be abolished, subsidies for renewables should be cut and more fossil energy should be imported according to the "criterion of the lowest price".
Migration
The Christian Democrats want an immediate de facto ban on the admission of unauthorized migrants. Anyone arriving from an EU or Schengen state to apply for asylum should be turned away at the border. The BSW has a similar line. "Anyone entering from a safe third country has no right to stay," says Wagenknecht. In this case, there is also a right to benefits.
The AfD is similar in content, but with even harsher words. In its draft program, it calls for "Closing Germany as an asylum paradise" or "Germany needs a comprehensive repatriation offensive".
Although the SPD advocates "swift and consistent deportations", it favors the voluntary return of migrants without the right to stay. The Greens are in favor of a "fair, binding and solidarity-based distribution of people seeking protection in Europe". The FDP advocates "orderly migration" according to clear rules. The Left does not want any restrictions on asylum.
Ukraine/Russia
The war in Ukraine is an issue for all parties. The SPD wants to continue arms deliveries to Ukraine "with prudence and a sense of proportion" and "for as long as necessary". However, it is against the delivery of the Taurus cruise missiles requested by Ukraine.
CDU/CSU candidate Merz, on the other hand, has held out the prospect of this under certain conditions. The CDU/CSU promise Ukraine all the support it needs. Following an election victory, the CDU/CSU wants Germany, France, Poland and the UK to jointly develop security guarantees for Ukraine in coordination with the USA.
The FDP's draft program states that Ukraine must be able to defend itself against launch bases and supply lines on the Russian side with long-range weapons. "We therefore demand the immediate delivery of the Taurus cruise missile."
The BSW is calling for an end to military support for Ukraine. "We demand the removal of weapons funding from the federal budget and finally honest efforts towards a ceasefire and peace negotiations," reads a paper by Wagenknecht. Like her, the AfD also wants an end to economic sanctions against Russia and a return to gas imports from there.
©Keystone/SDA
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