So the Bundesrat's chairman, Klaus Wowereit, a Social Democrat, asked Manfred Stolpe, Brandenburg's Social Democratic premier, to clarify his state's position.
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2.
Mr Stolpe, whose ministry met each of them last month, has left open the possibility of Toll Collect taking on new partners.
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3.
Now it can definitely command only 26 seats, or perhaps 30 if Mr Stolpe decides on a coalition with the ex-communists in Brandenburg.