Germany

Comment: father of his country-President Winfried Kretschmann and the new Communist party

It’s a strange world in Baden-Württemberg: A green Prime Minister, the Chancellor praises and against the CDU did not score. The southwest is next for political Surprises, writes Felix Steiner.

Winfried Kretschmann is a completely uncharacteristic Green. A, – if he has no outstanding office would be in constant conflict with his party leadership in the spring. In Berlin, Hamburg and all other German cities, the navel of the world, are completely unelectable. Because too bourgeois, too stuffy, too provincial.

Baden-Württemberg is different than Berlin or Hamburg. There, where there is no city there, but in nearly every village has at least a small factory stands (many of them world leaders in their niche), where large parts of the prosperity of this Republic to be generated, there may be a such as Winfried Kretschmann. A, in the Catholic Church choir sings, and for 40 years with the same woman is married. This is wertkonservativ in the best sense of the word. And Baden-Württemberg is a conservative to the core.

Green success in car-Land

For this reason, it was no wonder that the CDU in Baden-Württemberg for decades almost unchallenged reign. The state election of 2011, the Kretschmann into office of the Prime Minister, brought that fact to get in the CDU as a one-time “accident at work”: Two weeks after the nuclear disaster of Fukushima is clear, that the Green because it was a sensational result. The voters would already see where this will lead, in the country of Daimler, Porsche and Bosch – at the latest in five years, the green-red specter over again, tried to comfort the Black, as the Greens and the SPD against the CDU in a government formed.

DW editor Felix Steiner

But now punishes Winfried Kretschmann, the all-too-Smug in the CDU lies: Not only that for weeks already all Demoskopen report, even conservative supporters would find Kretschmann significantly more attractive than their own candidate. No, says now is also the first Institute to advance, the Green could be the CDU and overtake the strongest faction. There was no German state – the Sensation would be perfect.

Of course, the strength of the Greens in Baden-Württemberg is also the weakness of the CDU and the SPD owed. Both parties threaten to historically low voting shares. There is the “Alternative for Germany”, all the collects, which in the face of open borders and unabated Flüchtlingszustrom of the established parties turn their backs to twelve percent of the voters want it now. And probably will be there on election day still more.

Weak candidate with the CDU and the SPD

And there are other, by the personnel of your previous Wahlpräferenzen not really convinced – not from the colourless Landeswirtschaftsminister of the SPD, nor the widely unknown Challenger Kretschmanns of the CDU. In turn, the foreseeable disaster for his party, the worse, in the he now just before election day, tried to as to be the Opponent against Angela Merkel position.

The drives now also even the way of the CDU, which is behind the policy of the Chancellor. And those Winfried Kretschmannn with his confession, he “pray every day for the health of Angela Merkel”, like home. “Governance is a question of style” stands next to a photo Kretschmanns, the Green in the whole country placarded have – rarely has a poster of the nerve of the conservative electorate in the South West are better met.

The respected father of his country

Kretschmann is the respected father of his country, maintains a presidential attitude, looking for pragmatic solutions rather than to polarize – all what you do in the home of the first Federal President, Theodor Heuss, just in very high regard. The Greens know that alone, he is the father of your success and why have the election campaign completely on him, the Prime Minister, tailored. The new Communist party of Baden-Württemberg is green – who would have ever dreamed?

Sure the finding Kretschmanns in office, however, is still not long. Because if the Wahlverlierer the CDU and the SPD, together with the FDP to a black-red-yellow coalition ally, then that would be itself the Status as the strongest faction in the state Parliament for the Green party useless – the CDU know this feeling Yes. Kretschmann can only with a black-green or a green-red-yellow coalition Prime Minister to stay – for everything else, there are no majorities in sight. Both would be – as well as the black-red-yellow Regierungsehe premieres for Germany. This was the first green Prime Minister five years ago, and Baden-Württemberg is well-driven.

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