When the budget is discussed in the second reading in the state parliament, the opposition traditionally uses this to extensively criticize the government. This time the general debate gave a first foretaste of the 2023 state election campaign.
Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) - The opposition in the state parliament used the debate on the planned double budget in Hesse to settle accounts with the politics of the state government. Around a year before the next state elections, criticism of the black-green coalition rained down on Tuesday. The leader of the opposition in parliament, SPD faction leader Günter Rudolph, accused the government of presenting a weak budget draft.
People's lives are determined by the consequences of the corona pandemic and the Ukraine war, he said in Wiesbaden. "But even in the face of two global crises and their devastating consequences, black and green remain unimaginative, discouraged and without a chance for a big hit." The people and companies in Hesse urgently need a government that is able to formulate a major goal and explain how this can be achieved.
The most important reason for the lethargy of the incumbent black-green state government is their disagreement, criticized the SPD parliamentary group leader. The supply of political similarities between the CDU and the Greens is clearly exhausted after nine years of cooperation.
"What has been presented to us so far is neither solid nor sustainable and least of all sustainable," said AfD parliamentary group leader Robert Lambrou. In the planned double budget there are no provisions for the most urgent problem for the prosperity of the citizens: inflation. The parliamentary group leader of the FDP, René Rock, also criticized that the state government had not provided any answers to the urgent questions of the time. These included the shortage of skilled workers, digitization and integration.
The leader of the left-wing faction, Elisabeth Kula, warned that not enough was being done in Hesse to combat poverty. "There are hardly any affordable apartments, public transport is expensive and bursting at the seams, inequality continues to grow," she said. The chairman of the DGB district of Hesse-Thuringia, Michael Rudolph, criticized that the state had to do more for the municipalities and resolve the investment backlog, for example in state infrastructure.
The black-green state government is planning significant investments in climate protection, education, the judiciary, the police and hospitals over the next two years. According to previous plans, the coalition's draft budget provides for adjusted expenditure totaling around 33.74 billion euros in the coming year and around 34.78 billion euros in 2024. The adjusted revenues in 2023 are expected to total around 33.74 billion euros and around 34.70 billion in the following year.
Despite the high spending due to the energy crisis as a result of the Ukraine war and the ongoing effects of the corona pandemic, the state government wants to stick to the debt brake.
Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) defended the course of the governing coalition against the opposition policy. CDU and Greens would continue to work well together. Of the projects for the next two years, Rhein emphasized the creation of new jobs for the judiciary and schools in Hesse and the aid packages for the energy crisis. "We are not letting anyone in this country down," emphasized the head of government. "Hesse is stable."
Rhein emphasized the enormous task for the municipalities when taking in refugees. Of course, a fair distribution of the burden was discussed with the municipal leaders. The state government has also decided to increase the capacities in the initial reception of refugees in the short term. However, the federal government must ensure that the number of refugees is limited, since the municipalities are overwhelmed with the task.
Green parliamentary group leader Mathias Wagner emphasized that black and green are keeping their word on the draft budget. All essential points from the coalition agreement would be launched.
