Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) triggered a controversy with statements on the Berlin campaign issue of expropriations. The Chancellor’s criticism of expropriations was “nothing but hypocritical,” said CDU General Secretary Mario Czaja to the Tagesspiegel.
In the last election campaign, Berlin’s governing mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) “pulled across the market places with very similar rhetoric” and then quickly forgot her “empty promises in the coalition with the most left-wing Greens in the republic and the expropriation Left Party,” said the CDU -Politician. “The Berlin SPD is conservative in the election campaign, but when in doubt it always stands firmly on the side of the far left.”
The Berlin CDU member of the Bundestag Jan-Marco Luczak accused the chancellor of having a “rather weak memory”. “What was intended as an election campaign aid for Franziska Giffey hits back like a boomerang.” At its state party conference a little over half a year ago, the SPD “decided the complete opposite,” said the construction policy spokesman for the Union faction.
The parliamentary group leader of the left in the Bundestag, Dietmar Bartsch, said that Scholz had a “strange understanding” of how to deal with a referendum. “It would make more sense to keep your campaign promises to build 400,000 apartments a year. Then the traffic light fails.”
“Expropriations do not create new apartments”
Scholz got involved in the Berlin election campaign in the Tagesspiegel interview. Expropriations do not create new apartments, he emphasized. Referring to the left and the Greens, who spoke out in favor of the implementation of the Berlin referendum on the expropriations, the Chancellor said: “To spread the illusion that with a growing population and living conditions that have changed completely today, you could do it without building new apartments I think it is irresponsible to build to meet the high demand.”
The top candidate of the Berlin Greens, Bettina Jarasch, accused the chancellor of not implementing his own announcements: “During the election campaign, he promised us affordable housing on large posters, but has not yet delivered the new building.” Jarasch said she expected Scholz to put his foot down In the direction of the FDP, so that tenant protection is not further delayed.
Left top candidate Klaus Lederer made a similar statement: “The traffic light fails across the board when it comes to tenant protection,” he said. The Berliners had given a clear vote in the referendum. “The socialization is about expanding the public housing stock and thus securing affordable rents in the stock,” says Lederer. He pointed out that his party is also planning new construction.
The Berlin CDU leader Kai Wegner accused the Berlin SPD of supporting the course of expropriation and also recalled the party conference decision last summer. “Trust and credibility are gone,” he said. Against the same background, FDP top candidate Sebastian Czaja demanded: “The SPD must clarify its relationship with expropriations.”
In an interview with the Tagesspiegel, Giffey reiterated her negative attitude. “Further investors are withdrawing from these dreams of expropriation, although we are almost at a standstill in the construction industry anyway.” From her personal attitude she never made a secret. Nevertheless, the referendum should be respected. The result of the expert commission, which is currently working on this, must be evaluated politically.
Giffey distanced herself from her own coalition partners: “There are very different views in this coalition at key points about what the best path is for this city,” she said. Giffey sees serious differences with the Greens and the Left in economic policy, for example.
With a view to the Liberals, she expressed the wish that the FDP would get over the five percent hurdle and move into the House of Representatives. “I think it’s elementary that the FDP, as a liberal force, ensures balance in parliament,” said Giffey.
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