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Voter in Baden-Württemberg: Can politics - not just the Union - regain lost trust?
Photo: Philipp von Ditfurth / dpa
The first results are exactly ten minutes old, since Bettina Schausten (ZDF) is raising two state elections to the federal level.
"How much," she asks, "do these results weaken Armin Laschet?" She wants to know that from the Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU), because he is currently on the air.
"This is now a journalist's question," says Kretschmer sullenly, before giving a politician answer.
This evening, Rhineland-Palatinate or Baden-Wuerttemberg is no longer an issue.
The electorate there is unlikely to have voted on the CDU chairman.
But the arithmetic of such events requires that extrapolation be made immediately.
After all, it is the start of the “super election year”.
It will be a super election year for the forecasters.
People like Jörg Schönenborn (WDR) and Matthias Fornoff (ZDF), who, as masters of numbers, touch gigantic touchscreens and say things like: "Yes, I'm looking for the data on Malu Dreyer".
Fornoff looks rather pale compared to the competitor, who is statistically armed to the teeth, even if Schönenborn warns with a serious face: "The prognosis is always a statistical arithmetic work", so no rocket science.
It is more difficult for the external reporters, who this time are sitting in a studio due to the pandemic and have to watch the virtual election parties on screens ("There is a lot of discussion at the FDP").
Kurz shows a long-haired CDU supporter from the Swabian Alb, who could well be the bass player of a Norwegian death metal band.
One would have liked to have known more about him.
Employee Bobby Cherian is actually »out with the people« in the pouring rain of Mainz and finds it »incredibly quiet«, almost eerie.
Everything would take place in a very small group.
We see a poor SPD tent next to an identical CDU tent.
When the results come, it gets even quieter there.
Cherian: "Joy and sorrow are really close together here."
Shortly afterwards, Lars Klingbeil is with Bettina Schausten.
The SPD General Secretary congratulates the SPD winner in Rhineland-Palatinate, condolences the SPD loser in Baden-Württemberg, and gives the social democratic slogan of the evening.
"Majorities are possible without the CDU".
In the meantime, it is up to Wolfgang Schäuble on ARD, who has seen a »choice of personalities« in both federal states and has to talk about »black sheep« in their own ranks.
As the unsuccessful CDU candidate in Mainz will later put it, they have »given us no tailwind«.
Will the young talent Özdemir soon take over?
Meanwhile, at ZDF, Dr.
Peter Frey has a cheerful Cem Özdemir and trusts his eyesight: "Apparently people trust Winfried Kretschmann".
The Prime Minister has just been confirmed for another legislative period, but apparently already so shaky that Frey wants to know from Özdemir whether he is ready to succeed him.
The flattered young talent wants to defend their constituency first, "then we'll see".
In Mainz and Stuttgart, the AfD candidates complain about "the exclusion that we have experienced."
Jörg Meuthen has to hear from Schausten that the party had rather "clumsy answers" to the corona crisis.
And with Frey, Alice Weidel is as irritable as one is used to from her.
You can experience a really, very happy Malu Dreyer from 6:30 p.m., a cheerful Winfried Kretschmann at 6:37 p.m. - but not yet on ARD, where Schönenborn explains a few more seats.
Then Christian Lindner explains at Schausten that the FDP is the actual winner of the election.
At Tina Hassel (ARD), on the other hand, Olaf Scholz (SPD) congratulates the winner, congratulates the loser and is happy, we remember that »a government can be formed without the CDU«.
And then Harald Schmidt stopped by
A cheeky outside reporter ambushed Kretschmann for the ZDF and asks: "Is it time for a traffic light?" Kretschmann shakes his head so unwillingly that Frey immediately speculates whether that was an answer to the question or a dismissal of the questioner.
A funny interlude on ARD in an appearance by Harald Schmidt, who does not want to give advice to Kretschmann, whom he "adores".
But if Kretschmann retired, his party would certainly take "the eternal stony path of the former ruling party": "This is the next CDU".
Schönenborn does not find that to be laughed at and ponders "how to find my way back to objectivity".
That will be followed later at the "Berliner Runde", by Britta Haßelmann.
The green federal manager had withdrawn in their favor, so that "not only men are sitting in this group again."
That's how they are, the Greens.
Haßelmann listens to the gentlemen - and states, relatively amazed: "Well, I think you are not giving a good picture here at the moment."
It is about completely different things than skirmishes on the question of the candidate for chancellor or inner-coalition bickering.
It's about the country.
Poor poor man now has to deliver
Later, the final figures are still not available, "Anne Will" also proceeds in this prosperous spirit.
Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg are quickly dealt with, and soon there will be questions such as whether politics - not just the Union - could regain lost trust.
There is a neat dispute between Robert Habeck and Thomas de Maizière (CDU) over the question of whether the Union has a structural problem when it comes to corruption.
The former interior minister sees "no crisis in the party, not even in the parliamentary group."
Habeck naturally sees it differently.
You listen to each other and don't touch your throat.
The political scientist Ursula Münch sums up the state elections with the realization that “nothing can be gained with extreme positions”.
Both prime ministers had conveyed credibly that they really thought about the country.
Poor Armin Laschet, everyone agrees, now has to "deliver".
And Olaf Scholz?
Is happy that "it has become apparent that there can be a majority without a Union".
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