Government talk at Illner: Things are not going smoothly yet

The new federal government is dependent on support from the opposition in the election for chancellor. Can the coalition partners rely on each other in the future? The Federal Minister of the Interior tries hard to convey confidence on Illner's show.

The federal government has been in office since Tuesday. But the start was bumpier than expected. Never in the history of the Federal Republic has a chancellor been elected only in the second round. How strong is Chancellor Friedrich Merz now? Maybrit Illner will discuss this with her guests on Thursday evening.

Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt appears relieved. "In a situation that we didn't choose, that we didn't want, that hadn't existed before, we have shown that we are capable of working together constructively and trustingly to solve a problem, to solve a challenge," said the CSU politician. This was possible with the participation of the Greens and the Left Party, Dobrindt notes. And that isn't easy for him. "For me, this is an encouraging sign that challenges can be solved. Better to have a challenge solved right from the start than a honeymoon period and then a row later." Dobrindt is referring to the selfies taken before the start of the last coalition, with which the FDP and the Greens wanted to demonstrate unity.

"This isn't just a mistrust of Friedrich Merz, but a mistrust of the entire coalition," said Green Party parliamentary group leader Katharina Dröge about the bumpy election. The task of the parliamentary group leaders of the CDU, CSU, and SPD was to listen carefully and prevent a similar incident to Tuesday's. "This start is off to a bad start, and this coalition is on shaky ground," said the Green Party politician. "That's something they have to work on." Help from the opposition isn't always available.

Political scientist Julia Reuschenberg believes the coalition has suffered serious setbacks. But: "What's important is that everything worked flawlessly in terms of democratic policy."

No cooperation with the Left - unless you need it

The new head of the Chancellery, Thorsten Frei, has since suggested that, given the political situation, the CDU/CSU should reconsider the incompatibility resolution regarding the Left Party. Dobrindt disagrees. Admittedly, the government lacks a two-thirds majority in the Bundestag and needs the Greens and the Left Party for certain projects. Dobrindt rules out joint legislative proposals with the AfD. Regarding "procedural decisions," the Left Party must also be consulted. However, the CDU/CSU does not have to correct any of the decisions already made. This means: an incompatibility resolution, yes—except when it is no longer needed. This could lead to the first conflict within the coalition, fears Melanie Amann of Der Spiegel. She criticizes the CDU/CSU for equating the Left Party with the right-wing extremist AfD. The CDU/CSU's incompatibility resolution applies equally to both parties.

Dröge also demands that the CDU/CSU must clarify its approach to the AfD. "My perspective is: There are two currents within the CDU/CSU. Jens Spahn belongs to one, and Jens Spahn is more aligned with the AfD than many others in the CDU/CSU, who are quite clear on this and whom I rely on." Dobrindt rejects the accusations against Spahn. Regarding the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution's assessment of the AfD, Dobrindt is still undecided about how to proceed. "I will not put this report in a filing cabinet. The report will of course be considered," the minister promises. He wants to be introduced to the report and then decide whether to publish it, Dobrindt says.

Overtime for migration policy

The new Federal Minister of the Interior, Dobrindt, has now made the first far-reaching decisions regarding migration policy. He wants to strengthen border controls, which will result in a significant increase in workload for federal police officers on the ground. Over the next three weeks, the affected officers will have to work up to 20 more hours per week. At the same time, critics say, train stations will be less heavily guarded. Dobrindt clarified another controversial measure during the broadcast: Anyone applying for asylum at the border can be turned away by the police in the future. This is possible, but not mandatory. Pregnant women, children, and "vulnerable groups" are exempt from this rejection, says Dobrindt. The minister does not want to declare a national emergency. He is speaking with representatives of neighboring countries. The decisions are being criticized there, something the Chancellor also heard clearly during his visit to Poland on Wednesday.

"The asylum problem is a problem that burdens the whole of Europe," says Dobrindt. Germany is particularly affected "because we have the greatest magnetic effect. This must be corrected." The excessive demands on municipalities and public systems must be stopped.

Katharina Dröge, of course, sees things differently: "Olaf Scholz hasn't pursued a good European policy, we've always criticized that. And Friedrich Merz could do better now. But he's setting Europe on fire."

Chaos, that's what Der Spiegel journalist Melanie Amann calls the events of the past two days. She observed that statements made by Chancellor Merz abroad and Dobrindt in Germany often contradicted each other, and that sometimes one there didn't know what the other was up to here. Recently, the government spokesperson apparently also caused confusion. "Order and control look different."

Dröge goes even further. She accuses Dobrindt of violating European law by turning away asylum seekers at the border. "It's relatively clear what we're doing," says Dobrindt. "It's about us being able to turn back people seeking asylum because they're entering Germany from a safe third country. They've already gone at least one country too far. They're not being persecuted in our neighboring countries. And that's why we have to make the European situation, the system, functional again. This is in our common interest."