Saxony is facing a budget crisis: an alliance of the CDU, SPD, Greens and Left is forming!

Saxony is facing a budget crisis: an alliance of the CDU, SPD, Greens and Left is forming!

A lot is currently happening in the political structure in Saxony. An atypical alliance of the CDU, SPD, Greens and Left Party is forming to jointly bring together the draft budget for 2025 and 2026. As ZDF today reports, the budget is due to be passed in the Saxon state parliament next Thursday. But the path there is anything but easy, because Prime Minister Kretschmer's minority government is ten votes short of an absolute majority.

Kretschmer depends on winning votes from the BSW, the Left and the Greens. The draft budget, which was drawn up at a time when Saxony has to make savings in many areas, is causing a lot of discussion. Mona Herdmann, the head of the advice center for eating disorders in Leipzig, expresses incomprehension about the previous planning because its establishment is being neglected.

A union for the household

After months of negotiations, the CDU and SPD have agreed with the Greens and the Left Party on around 260 changes to the Saxon budget. As the Saxon reported, the approval amounts to around 250 million euros. Many originally planned cuts have either been reversed or mitigated, particularly in the social sector, where the budget for support is now increasing. The beneficiary areas include consumer advice centers, AIDS assistance, food banks and institutions that take care of the protection of women and children.

The widespread protests against the cuts in recent weeks show how great the pressure is on politicians. There is a lot at stake because, in the worst case scenario, there is a risk of new elections if the budget is not passed on time. Ingo Flemming, a member of the CDU state parliament, expresses concerns about cooperation with the Left, while Rico Gebhard from the Left Party emphasizes that they do not want to leave the field to the AfD.

The challenges on the table

June 26, 2025 is the crucial day on which the budget is to be decided in the state parliament. But the negotiations are anything but easy. The CDU and SPD only have 51 of the 120 votes in the state parliament. The AfD offered the CDU “confidential discussions”, but there was no response. Political scientist Janek fahrer explains that this is part of the AfD's strategy to gain influence. At the same time, over 800 amendments were submitted by the opposition parties.

The project envisages a double budget of 50 billion euros, which is designed as a rigid austerity budget despite increasing expenses. At the moment, a provisional budget is in place, which means that spending is limited to just 30 percent of previous funds. This is particularly worrying for local authorities, as hundreds of millions could be missing. The warning from the League of Independent Welfare about the loss of ten thousand jobs in important areas is particularly alarming.| This makes the need to reach an agreement all the more urgent.

The coming days will be crucial for the political landscape in Saxony. The agreement on a budget could potentially give positive impetus to initiatives in the country. But how sustainable is this minority government really? That remains to be seen while all eyes are on the state legislature.