Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) – The CDU in the southwest is pushing for a so-called Jamaica coalition with the Greens and FDP in Berlin despite a historic setback in the federal election. Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) gave the Union with Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet hope on Sunday evening, despite the strength of the SPD, that Angela Merkel would remain in government after 16 years.
As in the federal government, the CDU crashed in the country on Sunday, but remained the strongest force in the country before the SPD and the Greens. After counting all constituencies, the state CDU only received 24.8 percent of the vote, a loss of 9.6 points. This is the worst result of the Southwest CDU in a federal election and the second bankruptcy after the state election in March, when the Union was defeated by the Greens.
CDU country chief and interior minister Thomas Strobl said of the losses: “This is a result that does not satisfy us at all.” The CDU in the southwest is still by far the strongest party. “Clearly ahead of the SPD, very clearly ahead of the Greens. We are stronger than the federal party, ”said the CDU federal vice-president. In addition, the party that is in the lead in the end does not automatically have to provide the chancellor. Jamaica could be a “future coalition” that reconciles economy and ecology.
The Greens landed with their candidate for Chancellor Annalena Baerbock in third place in the federal government and in the state, but won their first direct mandates in Baden-Württemberg in Heidelberg, Freiburg, Karlsruhe and Stuttgart. Kretschmann said on ZDF that, unlike a large part of his party, he does not see the SPD as a more natural partner of the Greens. In the spring of the state elections, he decided against a traffic light coalition with the SPD and FDP and for a continuation of Green-Black. It is crucial that an alliance is reliable and stable. “We go in there very openly.” A pre-determination would be unwise. “That’s not good for pricing.”
Four years ago the CDU was still able to win all 38 direct mandates in the country, now the SPD has also snatched one away, the one in Mannheim. In general, the Southwest SPD benefited from the upswing of the federal party under Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz and achieved 21.6 percent and gained 5.2 points – that is the greatest gain of all parties.
The SPD around Saskia Esken, party leader in the federal government and top candidate in the state, would thus succeed in making amends for the poor result in the state election in March, when it landed only with 11 percent. Esken now clearly sees the government mandate with her party. The Union has lost a lot. “It surprises me that the CDU and CSU believe that they can derive a government education mandate from this result,” she said on SWR television.
The Greens in the country can increase by 3.7 points and reach 17.2 percent. This is her best result ever in a federal election. The celebrations in Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Heidelberg and Freiburg were particularly loud: In the state capital, the ex-Green boss Cem Özdemir prevailed, in Karlsruhe the 26-year-old Zoe Mayer won, in Heidelberg the Green top candidate Franziska Brantner won the most Votes and in the Breisgau Chantal head won (26).
However, the party had significantly higher goals in the federal and state levels, but they were unable to achieve them with Baerbock. Kretschmann was disappointed with third place. But: “We don’t have to throw ourselves into the sword now, we have to negotiate well now.”
The FDP is obviously benefiting from the weakness of the Union in its home country and is increasing to 15.3 percent (2017: 12.7 percent). That is much stronger than in the federal government. Faction leader Hans-Ulrich Rülke thinks that the other parties of the FDP would have to come to terms with it if they wanted to govern with it at the federal level. The FDP does not want a tax increase or a loosening of the debt brake, he said in the SWR. A Jamaica coalition would be the first choice for the FDP. Michael Theurer, the regional head of the FDP in Baden-Württemberg, also sees it that way. “Of course we have a certain preference for Jamaica due to the close proximity of content in the central financial and economic policy issues, but that is not a sure-fire success,” he told the dpa.
The AfD loses and ends up with top candidate Alice Weidel at 9.6 percent (2017: 12.2 percent). The left is losing heavily in the southwest and is only 3.3 percent (2017: 6.4 percent).
Nationwide, around 7.7 million eligible voters were able to cast their votes for the federal election. Because of the corona pandemic, a particularly large number of them used postal voting this time. The turnout was slightly lower than it was four years ago. It was 77.8 percent, half a point lower than in 2017.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210926-99-373219 / 4
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