At the nightly coalition committee at the beginning of September, only Schmidt, head of the Chancellery, was present, but Hajduk and Saebisch also kept the meeting awake.
Image: picture alliance/dpa
Three politicians who hardly anyone knows keep the traffic light coalition going. They recognize conflicts, intervene and eliminate problems. How does this work?
They make multiple phone calls every day, keep in touch via video and SMS, and regularly see each other face-to-face. They are political competitors and yet they work very closely together. They stay away from the public. Although you don’t know them, the following applies: Without them, the traffic lights in Berlin would not work. We are talking about Wolfgang Schmidt, Anja Hajduk and Steffen Saebisch. Everyone knows their bosses: Olaf Scholz, Robert Habeck and Christian Lindner. They are sent by them to coordinate the ministries of the federal government. Schmidt does it for the SPD, Hajduk for the Greens, Saebisch for the FDP.
Markus Wehner
Political correspondent in Berlin.
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At the same time, they must find common ground for all three parties so that governance in the three-party constellation works. The task of the trio is to identify as many problems as possible at an early stage and to anticipate conflicts. So to anticipate them before they erupt with force. And if they do break out, to settle them as quickly as possible. The three are an early warning system for their bosses, parties and ministries, for the traffic light government as a whole. It’s best if you don’t notice them at all. Like brownies. They pull the weeds at night, and in the morning the gardens tended by the ministers look beautiful.