Schleswig-Holstein: The election reactions of the parties

The deputy CDU chairman Karen Prien was pleased with the clear victory of her party in the state elections in Schleswig-Holstein. “This is a convincing election victory for the CDU in Schleswig-Holstein,” Prien said on Sunday on ARD. It was a day of “great joy” and a “huge success”. She made it clear that this was also thanks to Prime Minister Daniel Günther.

So far, Günther has ruled a so-called Jamaica alliance with the Greens and the FDP. With a view to the question of the constellation in which he could continue to govern, Prien said: “Jamaica was and is our ideal alliance.”

You have to wait for the figures first, but then you will enter into talks with the previous coalition partners. The election victory will give the CDU “proper tailwind” for the state elections next Sunday in North Rhine-Westphalia, said Prien.

Also CDU faction leader Tobias Koch spoke out in favor of continuing the Jamaica coalition despite the foreseeable excellent election result. “For us, what we said before the election also applies after the election. We would like Jamaica to continue,” said Koch on Sunday on NDR television.

Five years of good cooperation between the CDU, Greens and FDP speak for themselves: “I think a three-way constellation has proven itself very well here in Schleswig-Holstein.”

All graphics >>>

The deputy party leader of the CDU, Carsten Linneman, was very satisfied with the performance of his party. “Respect to Daniel Günther,” said Linnemann on Sunday evening on ZDF.

Linnemann explained that the result was “significant” to Günther’s success and not primarily the result of the federal party. When it comes to security and education, Günther has a clear opinion and conviction. This is the type of politician who is in demand, said Linnemann. “He’s a beacon of hope.”

Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia Hendrik Wust (CDU) saw the election victory of the Christian Democrats in Schleswig-Holstein as a boost for his state party. The result was “a great success for Daniel Günther, but also for the CDU as a whole,” Wüst told the Handelsblatt. Günther has shown: “The CDU people’s party is back on track.” Next Sunday there will be elections in NRW, according to surveys there is a head-to-head race between the CDU and SPD.

SPD obviously disappointed

SPD General Secretary Kevin Kuehnert attributed the electoral success of the CDU solely to the popularity of the prime minister. When asked whether Chancellor Olaf Scholz had an effect on the SPD’s poor performance, Kühnert pointed out on ARD that state political issues had been dominant. The SPD was in a “strategic dead end” in the north.

The SPD member of the Bundestag and former state chairman Ralph Stegner described his party’s performance in the Schleswig-Holstein election as a “debacle”. He believes that SPD top candidate Thomas Losse-Müller was a good candidate, but he didn’t have much time, Stegner said on Sunday on NDR television. It is also difficult to beat a popular prime minister. Now the SPD is about doing good opposition policy.

The Federal President Saskia Esken continues to hope that her party will win the forthcoming state elections in North Rhine-Westphalia. “We are very confident that Thomas Kutschaty will soon be prime minister in North Rhine-Westphalia,” said Esken on Sunday on ZDF.

Esken referred to the electoral successes of the SPD in Saarland and also in the federal government, where the party had an “unprecedented catch-up race” behind it. In Schleswig-Holstein, however, the SPD achieved a “bitter result” on Sunday.

“I have to say quite clearly that we did not expect this election result,” said Esken. The voters were concerned with confirming a “very popular prime minister” in office.

Habeck speaks of a “good result”

Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck highlighted the gains made by the Greens in the state elections in Schleswig-Holstein and suggested that his party should continue to participate in the government. “There are two election winners: Daniel Günther and the Greens,” said Habeck on Sunday evening on ZDF.

The normal political reflex would be that a black-yellow coalition would be formed if there was a majority for it, said Habeck. But Günther is so popular because he is a “modern conservative prime minister”. In the previous Jamaica coalition, he was certainly also doing this through the FDP, “but to a large extent through the Greens”.

The voters’ order is therefore that Günther should be prime minister, said Habeck. However, Schleswig-Holstein should continue to be a modern, cosmopolitan and “ecological pioneering state”.

Habeck said on ARD that the country had benefited from the fact that the “hardened political culture” had been broken up. “Of course, the votes always go to the incumbent when you want him back. And he was a good Prime Minister, no question about it, ”said Habeck about Günther.

The FDP promotes an alliance with the CDU

FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki spoke out in favor of a government alliance between the CDU and his party. Regarding the losses for the FDP in the north, Kubicki said on Sunday evening on ARD that it could not have been due to the national trend.

There is a clear majority of Union and Liberals in Schleswig-Holstein, he added. “That alone counts for me. Daniel Günther has to decide for himself what the Union will do with it now.”

The champagne corks pop at the SSW

The SSW member of the Bundestag Stephen Seidler was satisfied with the performance of the South Schleswig Voters’ Association. The champagne corks would have popped, he said on Sunday evening on NDR television.

The SSW is the party of the Danish and Frisian minority in Schleswig-Holstein and is therefore exempt from the five percent clause – in the projections the party is currently even at six percent.

Seidler described the result as the result of good policy. When asked about a possible coalition with the CDU, he said that the government’s mandate lay with the Union’s top candidate, election winner Günther.

The AfD is still shaking

The Schleswig-Holstein AfD top candidate Jorg Nobis was disappointed by the poor performance of his party. “We’re still shaking,” said Nobis of the German Press Agency. According to the projections, the AfD has to worry about 4.5 to 4.9 percent about re-entering the state parliament in Kiel. Nobis said: “Of course we hope that we can improve a bit so that in the end it’s enough to get over the five percent hurdle.”

With agency material.

More: LNG terminals, eco-energy, armaments – Schleswig-Holstein is moving into focus due to the Ukraine war