Rhein calls for political centre as Hesse debates its 2027 budget in Landtag

Appeal to the political centre

Hesse's Minister-President Boris Rhein (CDU) used the general debate on the 2027 state budget in the Landtag in Wiesbaden to press for the political centre. He said the state had been built by people who solved problems and overcame hurdles, not by those who only described problems and built barriers, and he made the point with the AfD parliamentary group in view. He called for more of those people and named CDU, SPD, FDP and the Greens as the forces the state needs now.

“It needs the forces of the middle right now. It needs CDU, SPD, FDP and the Greens.”

Warning about France

Rhein pointed to France as an example of what can happen when the political middle disappears. He warned that radicals from left and right come first, and that the streets burn afterwards.

“First the radicals from left and right come, and then the streets burn.”

He said the CDU-SPD coalition in Hesse aims to keep the state in the centre. Rhein argued that people who have turned away from the middle did so because they felt left behind, and he called for bridges to be built to them.

Growth and economic policy

Rhein described new growth and economic strength as the decisive keys in demanding times. He said the government's economic policy rests on three pillars: cutting bureaucracy, expanding investment and pushing innovation. According to Rhein, the first signs of an upswing are visible, and Hesse reached first place among the German states with 1.8% growth in the first half of 2026.

“This state is by no means dysfunctional. Let us not engage with the toxic narrative of the radicals.”

Rhein acknowledged that there is room for improvement in some areas of the state, while rejecting the view that Hesse is failing.

Opposition position

The AfD, the largest opposition group in the Landtag, criticised the idea that the state can take responsibility for everything over the long term. Its parliamentary group chair Robert Lambrou is also the party's voice on the 2027 budget, and the coverage reports that the AfD intends to put social support programmes under review.