The Bremen Greens continue to be unsettled after their heavy losses in the state elections. The former Vice-President of the Parliament, Sülmez Çolak, announced her resignation from the party on Wednesday.
Reinhard Bingener
Political correspondent for Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Bremen, based in Hanover.
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The 47-year-old lawyer from Bremerhaven justified her decision with a personal alienation from the party and a lack of consideration of Bremerhaven's interests by the Greens. Çolak announced that she would nevertheless take up her newly renewed mandate and belong to the Bremen Parliament as non-attached MEPs. In a statement, the state executive said it was "deeply saddened" by Çolak's decision.
The Green top candidate and former Transport Senator Maike Schaefer had already announced on Monday that she would no longer be available for a senatorial post. Later, the two Green Party state board spokesmen, Alexandra Werwarth and Florian Pfeffer, also announced that they would not run for office again.
Provisional official final result
"This party has to work through an election," Werwarth told the F.A.Z., speaking out in favor of a generational change. However, despite the personnel turbulence, the Greens are "absolutely capable of acting," she said, with a view to the upcoming formation of a government.
Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte's SPD has the choice between a grand coalition and a continuation of the red-green-red alliance, whose majority has shrunk to three seats as a result of Çolak's resignation.
According to the preliminary official final result, which was only published on Thursday because of the complicated electoral law, the SPD came to 29.8 percent (27 seats), the CDU to 26.2 percent (24 seats), the Greens to 11.9 percent (ten seats), the Left Party to 10.9 percent (ten seats) and the citizens in anger to 9.4 percent (ten seats). With 5.1 percent, the FDP narrowly managed to win again (five seats).
On Wednesday evening, the SPD state executive committee determined the course of the exploratory talks. On Friday, the SPD will meet with its previous coalition partners of the Greens and the Left Party, and on Saturday with the CDU. A conversation with the FDP is also to take place, but it has no prospect of power.
A preliminary decision on the formation of a government could be made on Monday evening. Then the SPD state executive wants to determine with whom coalition negotiations will be conducted.