Sun, excitement, voting: Wüst and Kuchaty in a good mood

Created: 05/15/2022Updated: 05/15/2022 15:31

Hendrik Wüst is standing in the polling station after submitting his ballot.

© Guido Kirchner/dpa

Beautiful spring weather, excitement and a good mood: the top candidates in NRW have voted.

Wüst comes with his wife and little daughter Philippa, Kuchaty with his wife Christina.

Then it's time to wait and see.

Rhede/Essen/Düsseldorf/Bonn - Incumbent Hendrik Wüst symbolically pushed the pram with little Philippa in front of him, his challenger Thomas Kutschaty casually came to the ballot box with his wife Christina.

A few hours before the showdown, the two top candidates and biggest opponents in the state elections in North Rhine-Westphalia radiated confidence and good spirits in the most beautiful spring weather.

"We're fine.

It's a wonderful day in North Rhine-Westphalia, wonderful weather.

It's a great day to vote," says Wüst with a smile after he and his wife Katharina have ticked the box at around 10:30 a.m. in his hometown of Rhede in the Münsterland region.

The one-year-old daughter Philippa was quite unimpressed by all the hustle and bustle.

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There was even room for small jokes when the politicians voted.

Alluding to the ballot paper folding faux pas of the former Prime Minister of the state, Armin Laschet (CDU), in the federal elections last autumn, Kutschaty says in Essen: "But it is difficult to fold that nobody can see anything." Also Wüst apparently remembers that his predecessor and party colleague had his little problems with folding the ballot paper correctly.

At the time, when the ballot paper was thrown into the ballot box, it was clear that Laschet – of course – had crossed his mark with the CDU.

That could take a while now, Wüst is said to have murmured in the voting booth and asked for an envelope.

And the 46-year-old lawyer laughed when he was told that he had to "fold the piece of paper correctly".

After a short statement, Wüst then said goodbye to the media representatives for a few hours.

"We'll be home and do a little bit of family.

So, have a nice Sunday, bye.” In the afternoon, Wüst wanted to leave for Düsseldorf.

SPD top candidate Kutaschaty also spent the afternoon with his family before he wanted to be in the state capital in time for the polling stations to close at 6 p.m.

The children had announced themselves to eat.

Tarte flambée with a green salad from our own garden was on the menu.

He had previously made a declaration of love on Twitter: "Today I can choose #NRWvonTomorrow here with the woman I love."

While AfD man Markus Wagner had voted by letter, Greens top candidate Mona Neubaur and FDP Minister for Family Affairs Joachim Stamp also took action at their places of residence: The 44-year-old Neubaur cast her vote in a polling station in Düsseldorf-Pempelfort in the late morning - and hoped for a good result as well as Stamp.

The Family Minister voted as the last of the top candidates in the Bonn district of Röttgen - according to reports without problems folding the ballot paper.

dpa