Steffen Krach, acting state leader of the Berlin SPD and top candidate for the state parliament election, is distancing himself from the federal party. In an interview with Deutschlandfunk, he said: “We need, I believe, to come to a course change overall.” He pointed to polls showing that 80 percent of Germans consider the reform package presented in early July to be unbalanced.
Krach particularly rejects the planned cuts to housing benefit. “This often hits single parents, many pensioners who can no longer afford their rent,” he said. Many hard-working people who depend on the subsidy would also be affected. “I really think this is the absolutely wrong way,” Krach said, and he expects parliament to correct the decision.
The coalition had decided to change the eligibility for housing benefit during budget debates. Krach was cautious about calls for the resignation of Lars Klingbeil and Bärbel Bas: “We will not convince anyone with internal personnel debates. We will win people back with substance.”
Krach is running in the Berlin state election on September 20. The SPD, which currently shares power, polls at 14 percent, behind the Left, CDU, AfD, and Greens.
Source: www.zeit.de
