By Friedemann Kohler and Janet Binder, dpa
BREMEN – The three parties that have governed Germany’s smallest federal state Bremen since 2019 signed a renewal of their coalition on Monday.
The agreement revived the working arrangement between the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the hard-left Die Linke party following the May 14 state elections.
“We have a minor achievement behind us,” SPD regional head Reinhold Wetjen said at the signing. The course had been set for the next four years, he added.
On Wednesday, the state parliament is set to elect the new state government led by SPD Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte.
For the renewal of the coalition, the alliance, which is unique in western Germany, wants to focus on education, labour, climate and liveable urban spaces.
At the weekend, the three parties approved the negotiated coalition agreement with large majorities at separate party congresses.
In the May 14 elections, the SPD saw a considerable increase in support to 29.8% of the vote, while the Greens lost ground to 11.9%, and Die Linke maintained its share at 10.9%.
The state is made up of the city of Bremen itself and the smaller Bremerhaven at the mouth of the Weser River.
