Strong wind for the SPD in today’s elections in Saarland with the aura of Solts being transferred to the local level. First test for the newly elected president of the CDU.
They have given it their all despite the coronavirus. Social Democrat candidate Anke Rellinger was first forced to cancel all her appointments in Saarland three weeks ago because she got stuck. But without delay, her team “took” her to the appointment as a life-size cardboard figure. Then came her rival, the state’s Christian Democrat prime minister, Tobias Hans. But he continued the campaign digitally with the help of a robot, Robbie-Toby, where Hans could set up live connections himself. With this robot he moved to many cities of the state and talked to the people.
Former shooting champion Rellinger
Because a lot is at stake today. This is the first local elections since last September’s federal elections and the political change could be repeated here. And if that happens, the winner for the first time in almost 23 years would be from the SPD again. Political scientist Uwe Yun believes there is a realistic opportunity for change. The focus is on two candidates: Tobias Hans, 44, the current prime minister, and Anke Rellinger, 45, the deputy prime minister and finance minister. Until now, the two co-ruled in a large coalition. But now Rellinger wants to become prime minister herself. In the event of an election victory, she will be the first female prime minister of the small state from the Social Democratic Party. The latest polls give the lawyer the profession of strong wind. Rellinger has long been more popular than her rival, and both her and the party’s popularity ratings come at a distance from Tobias Hans, who took over as prime minister from Annegret Krab Karenbauer when she moved to the mainstream political scene. .
Even before the pandemic, Rellinger showed that she has the gift of being open with people and speaking their language. “It is helpful for a successful election campaign to have won a championship,” she said in a recent interview, recalling her old sports glories. Because she was a track and field champion in Saarland in the shot put competition. Her record of 16.03 meters since 1996 has not yet been surpassed. Polls show the SPD at 41%, the CDU at 28%, and in terms of individuals, more than half want Rellinger as head of government, while Hans only a third. Saarland, with a population of almost one million, has been ruled by a large coalition since 2012. But elections are more important. They are also considered the first major test for the three-party coalition government in Berlin. The transition from a grand coalition to a three-party coalition without the Christian Democrats could be repeated in the state. While CDU leader Hans, who has come under pressure in recent weeks, warns of this and wants to continue the grand coalition, Rellinger maintains a low profile on the issue. As she says, she has “great sympathy” for a large coalition, which would have been even bigger if it had been its leader.
Support from Solts
Tobias Hans, who has no profession and has not finished school or any training, hopes that the Christian Democratic Party will be able to find its last step without having a plan B in the drawer. It tries to collect points with issues such as the brake on the price of fuel. Despite the big poll difference, Rellinger remains cautious. She is satisfied with the good percentages, but she is waiting for a sprint to be judged on the thread. “The most crucial poll is on March 27, when voters have the floor,” he said. She can not forget the shock, when five years ago she lost by a huge margin to Krab-Karenbauer, although the polls brought her breast to breast. As vice-president of the SPD, Rellinger is very well networked in Berlin and has no problem showing it. Chancellor Olaf Solz can be found on the phone immediately. In the recent federal elections, the Social Democratic Party emerged as a stronger force after 16 years. “She is the right prime minister because she has shown in recent years as finance minister that she is well aware of the problems and that she knows what needs to be done to secure the future and many jobs here in Saarland,” he said. campaign.
The local elections in this state are a prelude to another 3 electoral contests, always at the local level. And the question is whether the new president of the Christian Democratic Party, Friedrich Mertz, manages to give a new impetus to his party. All members of the presidency went to Saarland to support Hans’s candidacy. The next elections are in Schleswig-Holstein, on May 8, on May 15 in the most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and in October in Lower Saxony. For Saarland, science politician Yoon sees a large coalition with one of the two prime ministers. But there are other combinations. Recent polls show the small parties, the Left, the Liberals and the Greens, on the verge of being elected. The election battle is interesting.
Birgit Reichert / dpa
Edited by: Irini Anastassopoulou
Source: Deutsche Welle
Source: Capital
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