Sunday, January 02, 2022
Upcoming state elections
Merz speaks strongly to the CDU
The CDU’s defeat in the federal elections is still deep in the bones. But with the designated new chairman Merz, there is again a spirit of optimism. He is now self-confident when it comes to the upcoming state elections this year.
The designated CDU chairman Friedrich Merz has been optimistic that the CDU could emerge as the winner of the upcoming state elections this year. “We have the chance to remain or become the strongest party in all four countries,” said Merz of “Bild am Sonntag”. In March a new state parliament is elected in Saarland, in May in North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein, in October in Lower Saxony.
The incumbent CDU Prime Minister Daniel Günther in Schleswig-Holstein, Tobias Hans in Saarland and Hendrik Wüst in North Rhine-Westphalia are in some cases well behind the SPD in the polls. “Current polls are currently still heavily influenced by the federal election,” said Hans of the “BamS”. Everything is open. “With Friedrich Merz we have realigned ourselves in terms of personnel and will also set accents that are recognizable in terms of content.” In the latest survey by Saarland Broadcasting Corporation in November, the SPD was 33 percent ahead of the CDU, which came in at 28 percent.
Wüst also believed in a change of mood and pointed out that, contrary to its announcement, the Ampel coalition was running into billions in debt and was suddenly in favor of compulsory vaccination. “So many broken promises in a very short time inevitably cause frustration and disappointment in the population,” said the Prime Minister of the newspaper. A Forsa survey published by North Rhine-Westphalian newspapers in mid-December sees the CDU and SPD as being on par with 27 percent.
SPD in Schleswig-Holstein ahead
Günther, who would like to continue to govern with a Jamaica coalition, emphasized that the Union would have to emerge victorious from the SPD in the state elections. “Everything else makes it difficult for the CDU to justify a government claim.” In return, Günther wants to “avoid mistakes that the Union made in the federal election campaign”. “Unity” is an important success factor. Towards the end of November, in a survey with 28 percent, the SPD was well ahead of the CDU with 21 percent.
At the federal level, the Union has meanwhile grown in favor of the electorate. In the weekly survey by the Insa Institute for the “BamS”, the CDU and CSU gained one percentage point and came to 24 percent. The SPD again lost one point, but remained the strongest force with 27 percent.