VZCZCXRO0426
OO RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHLZ
DE RUEHFT #0697 0701448
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 101448Z MAR 08
FM AMCONSUL FRANKFURT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5059
INFO RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS FRANKFURT 000697 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/AGS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL GM
SUBJECT: Hesse SPD's Risky Opening to the Left Creates Opportunity 
for Opponents 
 
REF: a. Berlin 0265; b. Frankfurt 0447 
 
Sensitive but unclassified; not for internet distribution. 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Following weeks of political deadlock in the wake 
of the extremely close January 27 state parliamentary elections, 
Hesse SPD leader Andrea Ypsilanti has retreated from a controversial 
plan to form a minority government with the Greens, tolerated by the 
Left Party.  The plan foundered on internal resistance within the 
SPD.  For his part, CDU Minister President Roland Koch announced 
March 10 that he would consider stepping aside to pave the way for a 
possible CDU-Green-FDP coalition.  Ypsilanti's initiative has turned 
into an embarrassment for the SPD:  it has given the state CDU a new 
opening to propose a realistic alternative to an SPD-led coalition, 
damaged the SPD's credibility, contributed to a drop in the party's 
poll numbers (and those of SPD national chairman Kurt Beck), and 
generated public infighting within the SPD.  End summary. 
 
 
------------------ 
YPSILANTI FAILS... 
------------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) Hesse Social Democratic Party (SPD) Chairwoman Andrea 
Ypsilanti was forced on March 7 to reconsider her decision -- 
announced only three days earlier -- to accept the support of the 
Left Party in her bid to become Hesse Minister President when the 
new state parliament (Landtag) convenes April 5.  The decision to 
accept the support of the Left Party broke a major taboo in western 
Germany and required de facto permission from SPD national chairman 
Kurt Beck as well as an affirmative decision by the SPD National 
Board (reftel a).  The plan ran aground after Hesse SPD 
parliamentarian Dagmar Metzger publicly stated that she would not 
vote for Ypsilanti because it would violate the SPD's campaign 
promise not to cooperate with the Left Party. 
 
¶3.  (U) Over the weekend, the state SPD met and voted to continue to 
back Ypsilanti as party leader, but she announced March 10 that she 
would not be a candidate on April 5 after pressure grew within the 
national SPD to stop the plan.  The Hesse SPD will hold a party 
convention on March 29, where the question of a minority government 
will again be discussed.  At the national level, conservative SPD 
leaders have criticized Kurt Beck's support of Ypsilanti and press 
reports indicate that some would like to see him step aside as the 
party's candidate for the 2009 federal election. 
 
-------------- 
...KOCH BLINKS 
-------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) In the midst of this SPD drama, Christian Democratic Union 
(CDU) Minister President Roland Koch announced March 10 that he 
would consider stepping aside if the Greens and the Free Democratic 
Party agree to form a so-called "Jamaica" coalition (the name comes 
from the party colors of the CDU -- black, FDP -- yellow, and the 
Greens, which together form the colors of the Jamaican flag).  The 
announcement opens the door for CDU cooperation with the Greens, who 
have a long-standing antipathy for Koch.  One of the few potential 
CDU candidates for minister president in this scenario would be 
Frankfurt Lord Mayor Petra Roth, whose CDU governs with the Greens 
in the city council.  She, however, lacks broad support in the Hesse 
CDU and is not highly regarded by the Greens.  If this option fails, 
Roland Koch could stay on in a caretaker government without a 
majority in the parliament, leaving open the possibility that the 
Hesse SPD could form a minority government at a later date. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Kai Klose, Secretary General of the Hesse Greens, told Pol 
Spec that the Green Party would have to consider the Jamaica option 
if Koch resigned.  With the Greens and the CDU leaning toward 
forming a government in Hamburg, the Hesse Greens would feel 
obligated to show political leadership and help ward off the rise of 
the Left Party.  The Greens would have (reluctantly) gone along with 
Ypsilanti's risky plan because of their strong motivation to unseat 
Koch, but a Jamaica government would be far less controversial for 
the Greens locally and nationally. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Comment:  Ypsilanti's plan to ascend to the top post in 
Hesse with the support of the Left Party has turned into a fiasco 
for the SPD.  Her initiative may not only have cleared the way for 
the CDU to take the lead in forming a new government, it has also 
put the SPD's credibility into question, contributed to a drop in 
the party's and Beck's nationwide poll numbers, and put intra-party 
infighting on full public display.  Ypsilanti and Beck may pay a 
high political price for their botched gambit.  End comment. 
 
¶7.  (U) This cable was coordinated with Embassy Berlin. 
 
POWELL