State elections: Final sprint of the parties in Schleswig-Holstein

Created: 05/07/2022, 02:18 am

Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) speaks through a small red megaphone.

© Christian Charisius/dpa/archive image

Certain of victory, others between fear and hope and, above all, the Ukraine crisis - the parties in the north are contesting the final stretch of the election campaign before the state elections in different moods.

The SPD receives support from Chancellor Scholz.

Kiel - At the end of the election campaign in Schleswig-Holstein, the parties once again mobilized their voters at events before the state elections.

SPD top candidate Thomas Losse-Müller received support from Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Kiel on Friday afternoon.

CDU Prime Minister Daniel Günther had appointments in Nortorf and Laboe in the program.

In Kiel, the climate movement Fridays for Future underpinned its demands on state politics with a rally and a demonstration in the afternoon.

At a rally, Scholz campaigned for Losse-Müller, whom he called a politician with the "right heart in the right place".

Above all, the Chancellor used the appearance, which was accompanied by loud protests, to defend the Federal Government's policy in the Ukraine conflict.

After the Second World War, there was an agreement that borders in Europe would no longer be moved by force, said Scholz.

"That's something that Putin questioned, and we won't accept that." Germany must not leave Ukraine alone, without weapons the country cannot defend itself against the aggressor.

The SPD federal chairman Lars Klingbeil encouraged his party in the north for the election on Sunday.

Losse-Müller is someone “who can do it”.

He has experience and ideas.

"We now need a government that goes forward," said Klingbeil.

Losse-Müller criticized the balance of the incumbent government of CDU, Greens and FDP.

The Jamaica coalition organized a standstill.

The social idea must come to the fore again in the new state government.

"Social is the prerequisite for this country to come forward again."

According to the police, more than 1,200 people had gathered on the town hall square for the SPD rally, including around 50 counter-demonstrators.

They loudly disrupted the rally with whistles and sirens.

"Scholz to the front" read one poster, "Create peace without weapons" on another.

The polls put the CDU far ahead of the SPD and the Greens with up to 38 percent.

Both were tied at 18 percent in a ZDF “Politbarometer Extra” published on Thursday evening.

The polls consistently predict a secure majority for a possible coalition between the CDU and the Greens.

It would be closer, but conceivable for an alliance of CDU and FDP.

According to the polls, a coalition led by the SPD or the Greens seems unlikely.

Since 2017, the CDU, Greens and FDP have governed together in the north.

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The Green top candidates, Monika Heinold and Aminata Touré, appeared on Friday afternoon together with Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck.

Habeck praised above all the political culture in the country.

"It's no longer taboo to talk to each other - even if you belong to other political camps," he said at the rally in Neumünster.

Habeck, who himself was a minister in Schleswig-Holstein for a long time, said that in recent years a culture has been found in which one can govern well together.

This is largely due to the Greens.

Heinold was also on a campaign tour in Gettorf and Kiel on Friday, followed by Rendsburg and Bad Malente on Saturday.

The FDP with top candidate Bernd Buchholz also relied on the support of the party chairman, Federal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner - with joint appointments on Friday in Flensburg and Neumünster.

On Saturday it should continue in Kiel and Lübeck.

On the day before the election, Günther and Losse-Müller also worked hard.

The Prime Minister will be on the road in his native Eckernförde and in Gettorf, among other places.

Later Günther becomes a night owl: at 10 p.m. a young voters’ party is to start with him in Kiel.

Losse-Müller wants to promote himself and his party by distributing flyers in Eckernförde from 7 a.m.

In the constituency there, he and Günther also compete against each other as direct candidates.

Losse-Müller has scheduled a pub crawl in Eckernförde until 10 p.m.

dpa