The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Local election 2020: How the FDP positions itself in Bavaria to the AfD

2020-03-02T06:00:44.479Z


After the chaos in Thuringia, an uncomfortable local election campaign threatens for the FDP in Bavaria. But instead of ducking away, many members are even more in touch with citizens.


After the chaos in Thuringia, an uncomfortable local election campaign threatens for the FDP in Bavaria. But instead of ducking away, many members are even more in touch with citizens.

  • Local elections will be held across Bavaria on March 15 .
  • The FDP has a particularly difficult time - due to the events in Thuringia .
  • How do liberals deal with this situation?
  • +++ Survey hammer for the OB election in Munich: There is a clear favorite +++

Munich - Around the yellow advertising umbrella on Wiener Platz in Munich is a lineup of campaigners. Martina Lutz , 50, and her FDP party friends know that if they don't show up now, it could be difficult in the local election campaign. Because it's Saturday, 11 a.m. - the first weekend after the debacle over the election of short-term prime minister Thomas Kemmerich (FDP) with votes from the AfD in Thuringia.

"We didn't want anyone to be alone," says Lutz a good two weeks later. "You had to expect Thuringia to be viewed extremely critically - which I can understand." She emphasized: "I would not do anything together with the AfD ." Mobbing did not occur at the information stand.

FDP fights against trend in Bavaria: Candidates distance themselves from Thuringia and the AfD

Lutz is running for the Au-Haidhausen district committee , FDP list position two. The party must create at least 6.8 percent to get a seat. In the municipal elections on March 15, not only a new mayor * is elected, but also a new city council *.

At the moment, the strategy of many candidates is to distance themselves from Thuringia and the AfD. The young Munich FDP City Council candidate Jennifer Kaiser-Steiner is open-minded: “I say that it was a mistake to accept the choice, that it was good that Kemmerich resigned and that there was never any cooperation with the AfD in Munich a factual discussion is often possible.

FDP is fighting against trend in Bavaria: Currently it would not be enough to enter the state parliament

However, some liberals across the country have met with opposition and anger since the scandal. Posters were smeared , threats ended up in FDP offices, and verbal abuse was spoken out on social media. In Hamburg, that cost the FDP wafer-thin the election to the citizens. According to an Infratest election analysis, one in five went to Thuringia. Things are also looking bad in Bavaria: GMS sees the FDP in the state parliament at only three percent.

But the Bayern FDP keeps its head up. "The mood is better than feared after Thuringia," says Martin Hagen , parliamentary group leader and campaigner for the Ebersberg district council. He hopes for a time effect: the longer the Kemmerich election was made, the less the damage for the campaigners . If you listen around, you will find out that many, especially rural candidates, have not been asked about the case.

FDP fights against trend in Bavaria: Landshuter OB remains optimistic

Alexander Putz, the only Lord Mayor of the Liberals in Bavaria , is not afraid of his re-election in Landshut: "I don't think that a choice of personality such as the local election is significantly influenced by the situation in Thuringia."

The FDP already has a strong headwind. This is not the first time the FDP Mayor candidate for Munich, Jörg Hoffmann , has heard sentences like "You still dare to come here!" The failed negotiations for the Jamaica coalition in 2017 also caused displeasure. "You can always find this at information stands," he says, making it clear: "There will be no cooperation with the AfD here. The citizens take that from me too. ”Personally, he had no hostility . The Bavarian State Association of the FDP is more likely to be located in the left spectrum of the Liberals.

FDP fights against trend in Bavaria: Klingbeil quote awakens the fighting spirit

The FDP state party has reported about 80 withdrawals and 20 entries since the events of early February. Despite all the circumstances, Martina Lutz remains an optimist. She joined the FDP in autumn 2018 because she has been worried about the strengthening of the AfD for a long time and she wants to work for a respectful society . The SPD general secretary does not let her commitment spoil her: Lars Klingbeil recently said the picture that the FDP was no longer a party of the middle. "I'll pack it under political banter," Lutz dismisses such statements. "That awakens my fighting spirit." Then she puts on a smile and approaches the next passers-by.

A stand at Mariahilfplatz is planned for the first time on Saturday. "We sometimes have to dare to go to other areas besides, for example, Wiener Platz", she explains her initiative. The fight against the mistakes of other party members continues.

In a poll on the OB election in Munich, a candidate is clearly ahead - but there is a hurdle. All information about the election and the candidate can be found in this article. A new city council is also elected - but who is standing for election? The AfD Rosenheim OB candidate is failing towards migrants.

* merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen editorial network.

Cindy Boden

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2020-03-02

You may like

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-27T16:45:54.081Z
News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.